Day 12B: No Squabbling Here
Some baby birds squabble and bicker. Baby hawks and herons sometimes
even hurt each other. But not hummingbirds!
Q: Why don't baby hummingbirds bicker as some other baby birds
do? (Answer below photo.)
A. Bickering takes energy, and makes it easier for
predators to notice a nest. Nestlings that fight usually belong to species
that hunt for limited food. When a mother hawk catches a mouse, she
might not catch another for several hours, or even a whole day. So if
the most aggressive baby gets the food, it is more likely to survive
than the meeker babies. But hummingbird mothers are sure to find enough
food for both their babies, so there's no need for the babies to waste
energy arguing.
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