Bird Questions Answered

I was really curious about the robins in our nest--what is that white stuff, how many times are the babies being fed, and when will they leave the nest? So, I looked these questions up online last night and here's what I found out:

• Robin eggs hatch between 12 and 14 days from being laid.
• The parents feed the babies in the nest until they are ready to leave at 14 to 16 days old.
• The chicks eat about 35-40 meals per day, with the father giving more meals as the chicks get older since the mom is off building a new nest for her next brood.
• The chicks go to the bathroom just about every time they eat into a strong fecal sac made of mucus. Whichever parent has brought the food, will quickly take the sac away and deposit it 20-50 yards away, mid-air. Early in the babies' lives, the parent will eat the sac to fill them up so they can give more food to the babies.
  
• Babies jump from the nest and their parents lead them to nearby shrubs or brush to teach them how to climb, jump, and fly. They will take their first short flights within a day or two of leaving the nest.
• The parents continue to feed them on the ground until they are able to do it themselves. Then the parents will usually nest again.
• Robins only live about 2 years in the wild.
• Robins' diets are 40 percent worms, and 60 percent berries, fruit, and insects.
  

Resources:

More on Robins

Conservation Kids

Signs of Spring

Wild Bird Centers