BirdSleuth K-12 Educators… These teaching slides were created by the BirdSleuth K-12 team. We welcome you to share these slides with your students! You may edit this file, but please do not distribute this file (neither original or edited versions). Other resources pertaining to this content can be found at: Need help or have questions? Please contact BirdSleuth at or consult the BirdSleuth website at Join BirdSleuth on our social networks at: – Facebook: – Twitter: – Pinterest: Version 2.0 July 17, 2014

BirdSleuth K-12 Stages of the Breeding Cycle Find and defend a territory Find a mate Build a nest and lay eggs Incubate eggs Feed and raise nestlings Fledge from the nest

BirdSleuth K-12 Find and Defend a Territory Breeding territory: contains resources needed to live & raise young Males sing to tell rivals to “keep out” Protect nest and food resources

BirdSleuth K-12 Build a Nest… Birds use a huge variety of materials to build nests Twigs, sticks, leaves Lichen Mud Hair, fur, feathers Spider webs Yarn, string, dental floss And many more!

BirdSleuth K-12 Cup

BirdSleuth K-12 Scrape Platform Domed Cavity Pendulous cup

BirdSleuth K-12 …And Lay Eggs A clutch is the eggs laid by one female during a single nesting attempt Laying time varies Inter-egg intervals vary

BirdSleuth K-12

Incubate Eggs Developing chicks must be kept at a certain temperature Mostly done by “brooding,” (adult bird sits on its eggs or young to warm them)

BirdSleuth K-12 Chicks Hatch Chicks use an egg tooth to break through the shell Pipping is the process of breaking through the shell

BirdSleuth K-12 Hatchlings Altricial hatchlings—completely dependent on their parents Precocial hatchling—more developed and more independent

BirdSleuth K-12 Altricial vs. Precocial Young C HARACTERISTIC O F H ATCHLINGS A LTRICIAL Y OUNG P RECOCIAL Y OUNG EyesClosedOpen Downy feathersAbsent or SparsePresent MobilityImmobileAble to Walk/Swim Soon Parental Care NeedsCompletely DependentVaries; some feed themselves Muscle ControlPoorFairly Sophisticated Ability to Regulate Body Heat PoorWell Developed

BirdSleuth K-12 Feed and Raise Young

BirdSleuth K-12 Fledge from the Nest When a nestling: Is able to leave the nest, but not necessarily fully capable of flight Has acquired its first complete set of flight feathers Term usually used for altricial nestlings