Although the young birds are able to tear at prey by the 
time they are about five weeks old, they also continue to 
feed directly from the parent's bill until they fledge at 
about nine weeks. 
Up to four chicks may hatch in a single brood, and a 
pecking order is soon established among the nestlings. 
The parents partition food among the young birds until 
late in the nestling period, but sometimes only one chick, 
usually the eldest and strongest, survives. The nestlings, 
often several days apart in age, lose their white down as 
they grow and acquire juvenile plumage. They are 
completely feathered by the time they are eight weeks 
old. The chick (left) is clearly the youngest; the other, 
older chicks sport more of the darker feathers typical of 
immature plumage. The young birds will not develop 
full adult plumage until they are three or four years old, 
but they may pair and breed before that time. 
42 
