Three of the five American Kestrel chicks hatched within fours hours of one another on May 21. Watch the parents reveal their new hatchlings one by one.
After pipping for about 24 hours, the first hatchling was first seen out of the shell at 2:22 P.M. when the male arrived to relieve the female from her nesting duties.
Less than three hours later, a prey delivery by the male uncovered the second chick at 4:48 P.M. Be sure to watch hilarity ensue as the bumbling chicks do their best to stumble over one another uncontrollably in search of tiny bites from mom. Note the third egg actively hatching during this process.
Finally at 5:59 P.M., an incubation break by the female exposed the third chick in a puddle of downy white feathers.
The two remaining eggs are likely to hatch soon, so keep watch!
Watch the cams live at www.allaboutbirds.org/kestrels
The American Kestrel cam is a collaboration between the Cornell Lab or Ornithology and the Raptor Resource Project.
This American Kestrel paid is nesting in a gravel-bottomed nest on private property near Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The nest box is located on the side of a traditional limestone-footed barn, overlooking a rolling grassland that slopes away into folded hills and forests. Our partners at the Raptor Resource Project have watched kestrels breed at this site for over 25 years, and the wonderful combination of grassland, forest, and water that surrounds the property is an excellent example of the habitat that kestrels need to survive and thrive. Watch cam.
The young birds begin to hatch out of their eggs after about a month of incubation. Over the following 3-4 weeks, the nestlings will transform from downy bobbleheads to sleek, dull versions of their parents on a diverse diet of invertebrates, small mammals, and birds (watch this highlight of the female feeding the young). After fledging, the young will continue to be cared for by their parents, remaining near the nest as they learn to hunt and master flight.
Don't miss the outside view! A second camera has been installed to give views of the nest box opening from the outside so viewers can observe the kestrels' comings and goings, as well as the nestlings once they begin peering outside. You can view both cameras at allaboutbirds.org/kestrels
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20 май 2022
