6/15/2007 8:56:00 PM
In the bird world, some dads are better than others
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| Metro Media Service |
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 | Eric Moore
Courier Columnist |
Since it is Father's Day weekend, I thought an article about the role of male birds as a parent figure might be of interest. In some species, males are very attentive, taking an active role in nest building, incubating the eggs and caring for the young. In other species, males play a less significant role as 'dad' to the baby birds they have fathered.
In the Prescott area, probably one of the best examples of a good bird dad is the male Gambel's Quail. I'm sure you have had the experience of witnessing the male quail, acting as a 'lookout,' sitting up high in an open and exposed area, where he can watch over his brood feeding down below on the ground. At the first sign of danger, he is quick to alert his family, and will literally charge into harm's way to defend his family.
I think male House Finches are also a good
male role model. The males are very attentive to their female partner. During courtship and nesting, the male sings to his mate, and frequently brings her food. He will also take his turn helping to incubate the eggs and is actively involved in feeding the young.
Then there are those promiscuous males, such as Brown-headed Cowbirds, who, like their partner, take no parental responsibility. Brown-headed Cowbirds
are showy birds, enticing
the female for a little romance, but there will be no parental care for the young. The female lays her eggs in the nest of another species, which then bears the responsibility of raising their young!
Male hummingbirds aren't much better. Other than the act of mating, that is about their total contribution to parenting - the creation of new life. The female hummingbird is left with the work of being a single mom, having to build her own nest and incubate the eggs without the assistance of the male. After the eggs hatch, the female is on her own, raising her fledglings without the help of their dad.
Some of this information probably sounds pretty true to life for human families as well! Some of us were blessed to have attentive dads, and some of us grew up in a family where the
dad was absent much of
the time.
The bird of the week to be on the lookout for this week is the Ash-throated Flycatcher. This particular species is a summer resident, arriving in late April and early May, and leaving in early fall. Male and female plumage is similar, with an ash-colored throat, and a pale wash of light yellow on the belly. They have a slight crest, and a little touch of rufous color in both the wings
and tail.
Ash-throated Flycatchers are fairly common in the Prescott area, and they are unique in that they are a cavity nester, meaning they will actually use man-made nesting boxes for nest building and young rearing.
As their name implies, they are in the flycatcher family, meaning they are an insect eater, and they use a food gathering technique termed 'hawking,' where they fly out from an elevated exposed perch and snatch up an insect in mid-flight before returning to a perch from which to hunt. This process is repeated throughout day as they forage for insects.
Happy Birding, and happy Father's Day, dads!
If you have specific questions or issues related to wild birds which you would like discussed in future articles, you can submit them to Jay's Bird Barn, 1046 Willow Creek Road, Suite 105, Prescott, AZ 86301, log onto
www.jaysbirdbarn.com,
or e-mail eric@jaysbird barn.com.
Eric M. Moore is the owner of Jay's Bird Barn, a backyard wild bird store located in the Safeway/
K-Mart shopping center on Willow Creek Road. He has been an avid birder for over 40 years.
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