This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 8:44 pm and is filed under Bird Houses, Types of Birds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 26, 2008
The mating habits of the chickadees is minimal. There is no real major courtship display. Pairs generally break away from the small winter flocks that have been feeding together through the cold months and begin selecting mates. Being cavity nesters, the chickadees excavate their nest in the soft, partially rotted wood of a tree trunk or broken limb. These birds are excellent candidates for man-made bird houses. The nesting season is from April through June.
Locate chickadee bird houses 4 to 15 feet high. The orientation of the entrance hole should provide the most shelter and a clear flight path to the opening. You can encourage them to nest by placing a few wood chips in the bird house or filling the box with sawdust up to the entrance hole which gives the birds something to excavate while nest building. The female will build the nest using moss and soft materials, taking about 4-5 days to complete. She will then lay about six white with speckles eggs and she alone will incubate them for about 12 days. During this period the male feeds her.
The male calls her from the nest, at which time she leaves the nest and he feeds her. Sometimes she will leave the nest and call him, and he will bring food to her. Occasionally the female will feed on her own.
After the young hatch, the female will brood the newborns for the first few days. During this time the male will continue to bring food. After brooding, both will share equally in feeding the babies. The young will leave the nest in about 16 days. For the next 2-4 weeks the young birds will be fed by the parents. Then the kids are on their own!!
add comment read comments (0)
