Last updated on May 29th, 2023 at 10:57 am
All female birds lay eggs, and most species incubate their own until they hatch. The many things that happen after baby birds hatch aren’t identical or even similar for all species. For instance, every baby of any altricial species requires much more parental care than young precocial birds.
The first thing that happens after baby birds hatch is parental attendance and guidance, which may be only limited to protection for some species that don’t need to be fed. All altricial species feed their baby birds until they leave the nest, fledge fully, and fly away.
1. Some Baby Birds Don’t Survive After Hatching
Broadly, baby birds hatch in 2 sequences:
- Asynchronous: 2 or more eggs hatch a few days apart.
- Synchronous: Some or all eggs hatch within a few hours.
Not all eggs in a clutch hatch, irrespective of the sequence.
For example, the eastern bluebird species has a 100% hatch rate in only 55% of the nests in a breeding season when there is no drought.
In other words, 45% of breeding eastern bluebirds have a few unhatched eggs in their nests.
If you need help identifying the egg’s status, we’ve written an article on how to tell if a bird egg is dead or alive.
An adverse situation, like a drought, affects 60% of all clutches, so only 40% of these nests have a 100% hatch rate.
Also, some baby birds don’t survive after hatching due to various reasons, such as:
- A hatchling may fall off the nest and become prey to a nearby predator.
- Filial infanticide: parent storks may kill their babies, mostly if the brood is large.
- Siblicide: baby eagles, egrets, herons, owls, and pelicans may be killed by siblings.
2. Hatchlings Open Their Eyes in 1 to 3 Days
Avian newborns or baby birds are classified into the following categories based on their state of development at the time of hatching:
- Altricial
- Semi altricial 2
- Semi altricial 1
- Semi precocial
- Sub precocial
- Precocial
- Super precocial
Altricial baby birds hatch with their eyes closed. The common examples are:
- Songbirds
- Owls
- Woodpeckers
Altricial hatchlings don’t have any down feathers or mobility and fully depend on their parents for food and protection. Some owl species are semi-altricial (type 2).
These hatchlings have down but are helpless in all other aspects.
Altricial and semi-altricial (type 2) baby birds open their eyes within 1 to 3 days after hatching.
Semi-altricial (type 1) baby birds hatch with open eyes, so they have sight.
These hatchlings are also born with some down, but they depend on their parents for everything else.
The avian species classified as semi-altricial (type 1) include the following:
- Hawks
- Herons
- Albatross
All precocial avian species’ young, including the semi, sub, and super variants, hatch with open eyes, so they have sight.
The hatchlings of all such species also have down feathers.
3. Parents Feed Hatchlings Several Times Daily
The baby birds of all avian species require parental nourishment, excluding the following:
- Precocial: ducks, grouse, shorebirds, quails
- Super precocial: black-headed duck, moundbuilders
The baby birds of sub-precocial species need some parental feeding but can meet a bit of their nourishment requirement on their own.
These sub-precocial baby birds are:
- Cranes
- Grebes
- Guans
- Loons
- Rails
All parent birds feeding their hatchlings do so several times per day. The frequency may be 6 to 10 times daily for the first week or so.
However, most species don’t have to feed the hatchlings immediately. Baby birds absorb sufficient nourishment available in the yolk sac before hatching.
4. Nestlings Begin To Develop Down and Feathers
Baby birds born with bare skin begin to develop some down and feathers in 3 to 7 days, but this period varies among different species.
This phase marks the transformation of a hatchling into a nestling.
Unlike hatchlings, nestlings have the following abilities:
- Open eyes
- Improving sight
- Ability to stand
- Some mobility
- Better stretching
- Growing down
The slowly developing feathers of nestlings don’t have barbs and barbules. They look like short and stout tubes, more like bristles.
Although nestlings can move and stand, they rarely display much mobility from day 3 to around a fortnight after hatching.
All baby birds at this stage are nest bound, except the following species:
- Sub precocial
- Precocial
- Super precocial
Baby ducks are born with down feathers and can walk within a few hours after hatching.
So, the baby birds of many ducks and geese species don’t have a typical hatchling or nestling phase of immobility.
Ducks are precocial, and their babies set out to forage within a day after hatching.
The semi-precocial species have baby birds with partial mobility, so they aren’t completely nest-bound. These species include the following:
- Auks
- Gulls
- Penguins
- Terns
5. Baby Birds’ Diet and Feeding Schedule Change
Hatchlings feed more frequently than nestlings. The 6 to 10 times per day feeding schedule is typically down to 4 to 6 meals daily.
But nestlings don’t have the same diet as hatchlings.
Baby birds of a granivorous species may be fed insect larvae during their hatchling phase. The diet switches to insects and seeds or grains for nestlings.
Growing nestlings are fed a combination of foods, including fruits.
A carnivorous species, like owls, has a slightly different approach. Raptors usually feed only the flesh to their babies, not the whole prey.
Baby owls or owlets aren’t capable of forming and coughing out pellets comprising undigested bones, fur, and hair.
6. Nestlings Develop Feathers and Partial Plumage
Nestlings of most altricial species take 14 days or longer to begin fledging. The fledgling state progresses with the following characteristic features:
- Small but developing feathers
- Some evident down growth
- Partial plumage development
The feeding schedule changes again as a baby bird begins to fledge. This frequency, however, may drop to 2 to 3 times per day.
7. Baby Birds Leave the Nest After They Fledge
Fledglings leave the nest after developing substantial feathers.
Sometimes, parents push their fledglings off their nests so that they learn to adapt and survive, while the remaining brood of growing birds has more space and resources.
A fledgling may also fall off its nest.
8. Fledglings Out of the Nest Are Fed by the Parents
Irrespective of why a fledgling is out of its nest, the baby bird still depends on its parents.
It’s not a good flier yet, as they often flutter and crash land in their attempts to fly.
Walking or hopping, and trotting around are the typical movements of such fledglings.
Parent birds stay nearby and observe their fledglings, feeding them when necessary and possible.
If you think a fledgling isn’t being fed and there’s no food around, offer some bird seed mix.
Kaytee’s Wild Bird Nut and Fruit Seed Blend from Amazon is a waste-free option for dozens of small species. The 5.5-pound (2.5 kg) gourmet mix contains:
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Cranberries
- Dehydrated apples
- Hulled sunflower seeds
- Shelled nuts
Use a platform or tray feeder on the ground or somewhere accessible for a developing fledgling.
This blend has no hulls or shells, so you won’t have a mess in your garden or yard.
9. Baby Birds Grow Into Juveniles After Fledging Fully
Fledglings are capable of fending for themselves after they become good fliers.
Instead of their desperate attempts with fluttering wings, fully developed fledglings have the gracious flight of the species’ adult birds.
Parent birds stop feeding their baby birds at this juvenile stage.
10. Juvenile Baby Birds Embark on Their Wild Adventure
Immature or juvenile baby birds embark on wild adventures, leaving their nesting site, parents, and siblings behind.
Only social birds that like to flock together stay around or migrate as a group. Most baby birds won’t even recognize their parents a year or so after hatching.