Not all birds hatch eggs

According to modern ideas about birds, these include warm-blooded animals that have feathers, a beak and are more able to fly. Birds lay eggs and incubate them until offspring are born. But, as it turned out, not everyone is interested in hatching chicks. There is a bird among representatives of this class who is building a true incubator for their future chicks with heating and insulation.

It is an eyed chicken that lives in the semi-arid eucalyptus forests in southern Australia. Although she does not incubate eggs, she cannot be reproached for idleness. Rather, the opposite. They build nests that are complex in design for their chicks. It all starts with digging a large hole, up to 3 meters in diameter and about a meter deep. After this stage is completed, chickens collect grass, branches and other plant materials throughout the county. All this wealth is carefully laid to the bottom. And as soon as the rain moistens the remains of the plants, the hens begin the second stage. The male covers the organic layer with sand. At the top of this peculiar hill is a place for eggs. Basically, such nests have a diameter of about 5-6 m, but especially diligent males build incubators up to 10 meters wide. And at the base, natural heating is obtained: the organic layer decomposes, releasing heat during decay, and thereby ensures a constant temperature (about 33 degrees) inside the building. 6-7 months after the start of construction, the incubator is completely ready, and the female lays eggs. This is perhaps the longest built nest.

After laying eggs, the male regularly checks the temperature by stuffing the beak inward. If necessary, it creates the desired temperature regime by adding sand or vice versa by removing part of the "insulation". A caring dad eats and sleeps near the nest and does not leave his wards for a minute. An outstanding example of a caring father of the family! Chickens are born after 2-3 months and make their way upstairs. They are born quite independent and, as if in gratitude for such a long guardianship before they appear, almost immediately leave their home. But what about the parents? After resting a couple of months, the pair of ocular hens begins the construction of a new nest. And the whole ingenious process is repeated again.

But why do these birds build such incredible nests? After all, it is much easier to hatch eggs, and in time it is incomparably faster. According to biologists, the whole thing is the lifestyle of these birds. They live on earth, find food there and fly quite rarely, although they know how to do it. Perhaps such a mechanism was laid in them thousands of years ago, when the climate was colder, and in order to increase the survival of offspring, they began to build such complex nests. Maybe this was partially done to protect against enemies: to find in a heap of sand and plant debris such tasty eggs for predators is much more difficult than just in a nest in the sand. But whatever the reasons for such an unusual way to build a nest, they bear fruit. And these birds have survived to the present day, to surprise and delight us with such reverent care for posterity.

Watch the video: Bird eggs not hatching? What to do when your conure's eggs don't hatch? (April 2024).