Nesting birds

[malagabob]

I have a nesting pair of Blue Tits in my garden,the chicks must be hatched as both parents are flying back and forth feeding.
My Q is, what if one of the parents died for some reason,would the other keep feeding the chicks or would it stop and desert the nest?

[webbo3]

the remaining parent should continue to feed the off spring, if the chicks had'nt hatched the remaining parent would probably desert the nest as sitting on the eggs and feeding its self would be to much.


Dave.

[McMouse]

A good question. We have a nesting box close to our kitchen window and I have wondered the same thing. The rate of feeding is phenomenal, a constant supply around the clock. My other thought is with so much food will the chicks be too large to exit the hole and fly?

[webbo3]

I used to hand feed a robin with wax worms and meal worms and managed to get a blackbird very tame as well, the robin would be back and forth all day and even fly at my patio windows to attract my attention to come and give him/her food, the black bird i could call from a nearby roof and would fly off with a huge beak full of meal worms, i like to think i help bring on an extra brood of yound thanks to the extra food.


Dave.

[smudge]

I would hope in the sad event of one of the parents dying, the other would still feed their chicks.

We've been really enjoying watching our Blue Tits flitting back & forth feeding their chicks & hearing the cheeping from inside. Alas, they've just flown the nest & all has gone quiet. We miss them!

[smudge]

*cheeping from inside the bird box!

[wildwood]

It very much depends on at what stage of development a partner is lost. Blue tits usually have large clutches so keeping warm shouldn't be too much of a problem after 7 or so days. The size of the clutch works against them when one partner is lost.

There is no way one parent can keep up feeding 9 or 10 chicks, so often the chicks are abandoned and a new partner is sought so the season is not wasted. If the chicks are only a few days from fledging the remaining parent may try to raise as many as it can, but some of the smallest ones will probably expire.

You need to remember that, although they are wild animals, each individual may vary in their behaviour so there are no standard rigid rules in these situations.