48 ] How to Understand the Birds 



bill opened upward, for the parents merely drop food to it with- 

 out pausing in their flight. When the young swallows start to fly, 

 this catch-as-catch-can feeding continues while the parents and 

 the young birds as well are in full flight. 



Proper manners, as taught to our children, are out of place as 

 far as baby birds are concerned. Usually the aggressive one that 

 stretches its neck farthest and cries the loudest is the one that 

 is fed until another member of the family becomes more "grabby." 

 However, the parent, with a kind of rough justice, usually looks 

 into the youngster's mouth after each feeding; if a morsel has not 

 been swallowed instantly, the older bird snatches it back and 

 turns its attention to another baby. 



GETTING READY TO LEAVE THE NEST 



Some babies those of chickens, for example are covered 

 with down and able to run about when newly hatched. The 

 parents may keep them under their wings, "brooding" them 

 over a period of five or six weeks. Other kinds of birds also "brood" 

 while the babies are in the nest, but never after they have started 

 to fly. Brooding protects the young ones from the cold and from 

 excessive heat as well, as it prevents their being overheated in a 

 nest unprotected from the sun. 



As the baby birds develop feathers, their responsibilities grow. 

 They preen their feathers and begin to exercise, concentrating on 

 stretching their wings. Often they practice "taking off" before 

 leaving the safety of the nest. 



Though birds fly by instinct, the first flight generally requires 

 considerable parental coaxing. It may be no more than a flutter 

 to a nearby limb or it may be, as in the case of swallows, a sus- 

 tained and graceful performance. Song sparrows and others are 

 ready to try their wings only a week after hatching, while the 

 wandering albatross has to be forced out by its parents to make 

 room for a new brood nearly a year later. But whatever the 

 amount of time involved, the youngsters have flourished on the 

 solicitous care of their parents, and are now ready to face life 

 on their own. 



