Our Keepers are paying tribute to some of the best feathered Mums for a weekend celebration as part of Mother’s Day. (Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 March) This is the time of year that the hens are starting to lay and sit on eggs and their progress is closely monitored by the bird-keeping team.
Over the weekend, the talks programme will highlight some of our hard-working mums, so you can hear more about how birdlife looks after its young.
Head Keeper, Alistair Keen says: ‘At the moment we have a pair of Avocets sitting on a nest of eggs, and we are also expecting the Edwards Pheasant to hatch her eggs very soon.’
He continues ‘We are keeping a close eye on our colonies of Humboldts and King Penguins who are now moulting and getting ready to begin their courtship rituals.’
Amazing Bird Mum Facts:
- Burrowing Owls burrow underground where several eggs will be laid, away from prying eyes.
- The Flamingos build a nest cone of mud up to a foot high to protect their single egg from flooding.
- Female pheasants make a scrape on the floor and lay up to 8 eggs which they will incubate and hope that their dull coloured plumage will help camouflage them
- Pigeons build a flimsy nest on a platform of twigs and lay 2 eggs.
- Parrots will find holes in trees in which to nest.
- Female Cassowaries are possibly one of the laziest of bird mothers, she will lay eggs in the nests of several males then leave them to incubate and rear the young.
- Possibly the most committed mother is the female Trumpeter Hornbill, she will seal herself into a cavity in a tree (or a nest box at Birdland) using mud, droppings and saliva. She will leave a narrow gap through which the male can feed her for the following three months whilst she lays eggs, incubates them and hatches the chicks. Once the chicks are full size they will then break out