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• Version 1.0 August 20, 2013

Stages of the Breeding Cycle

Find and defend a territoryFind a mateBuild a nest and lay eggsIncubate eggsFeed and raise nestlingsFledge from the nest

Find and Defend a Territory• Nearly all birds defend a

breeding territory during their breeding season– Contains the resources

needed to live, nest, and raise young

Build a Nest• Birds use a huge variety

of materials to build nests– Twigs and sticks– Dead leaves– Pebbles– Mud– Hair, fur, feathers– Yarn, string, dental floss– …many more!

Cup

Scrape

Platform

Domed

Cavity

Pendulous cup

Lay Eggs • A clutch is the eggs laid by on female during a single nesting attempt

• Laying time varies• Inter-egg intervals

LS1B

Incubate Eggs• Developing chicks must

be kept at a certain temperature

• Mostly “brooding,” (when an adult birds sits on its eggs or young to warm them)

Chicks Hatch• Chicks use an egg

tooth to break through the shell

• Pipping is the process of breaking through the shell

Hatchlings

• Altricial hatchlings are completely dependent on their parents• Precocial hatchlings more developed and more independent

Feed and Raise Young

Fledge from the Nest• When a nestling:– Is able to leave the nest,

but not necessarily fully capable of flight

– Has acquired its first complete set of flight feathers

• Term usually used for altricial nestlings