Growing Up! This is the right order, from baby to adult! Did you notice . . . Here's why:   The fuzzy down on the first baby? Babies start out with down on their heads and backs. As feathers begin to grow in (so the birds can soon fly), they push the down out. The spots on the first baby's chest? These blend in with its habitat and keep it hidden from predators until it can fight back and fly.  The two babies have short stumpy tails, but the adult has a long tail? It takes a while for the stiff tail feathers to grow. They're important for perching and for turning and balancing in flight. (The babies' wing feathers also need to grow more!) The babies' beaks are shorter, softer, and fatter than the adult's beak — and they open very wide. You decide why! Tell a partner why you think baby robins need these types of beaks and why adults need long, hard, pointy ones. What else did you observe? How are the colors and patterns of the baby robins' wing feathers, throats, and heads the same as or different than the same parts of the adult?