Last updated on October 15th, 2022 at 03:02 pm
Every animal species that cares for its young has a method of carrying its babies. Birds, however, make it a priority to keep their chicks stationary, as it’s difficult for them to transport their young. However, when they have to, how do they carry their young?
Most birds don’t carry their own young simply because they lack the muscular strength to do so. The ability and tendency to transport babies occurs mainly in waterfowl, which frequently carry their young on their back before the hatchling can swim.
Do All Birds Carry Their Young?
Not all birds carry their young. Some birds, such as robins and sparrows, are too small to carry their hatchlings effectively.
For this reason, these types of birds tend to lay more egg batches and are more willing to abandon a nest in case of fatal danger.
These types of birds must rely on quantity to ensure the probability of hatchling survival.
Birds that can’t carry their young are also more likely to nest in remote, hard-to-reach areas, where the nest is less likely threatened.
This is why birds such as eagles and ospreys often nest on cliff faces and in the extreme peaks of tall pine trees.
Aquatic Carrying Is Safer Than Aerial Carrying
The most frequently recorded method of carrying that birds use to transport their young is aquatic carrying.
This is when the mother waterbird allows chicks onto her back, then swims away using her own body as a ferry for the younglings.
Aquatic carrying is safer for younglings than aerial carrying, as a fall is less risky.
Falling from the mother’s back during an aquatic carry can still be fatal if the chick isn’t old enough to swim properly or if the fall occurs while the mother is fleeing from a predator.
It’s easier for a mother fowl to carry her chick while swimming than moving her chick via aerial carrying.
Flight requires motion of the wings, increasing the likelihood of a chick falling off. Falling during a flight is also more likely to end fatally than falling during a swim.
Other Ways Birds Carry Their Young
Aquatic carrying isn’t an option for all birds, so naturally, other species have adapted either to carry their young in different ways or not at all.
Although it’s rare, some birds do fly carrying their young. This is uncommon. Ornithologists today are still struggling to understand how it’s done.
Aerial Carrying Is Rare Among Birds
Aerial carrying is a relatively rare occurrence in the animal kingdom, as most flight birds lack the physical strength to carry both themselves and their young through the air.
There are recorded observances of certain waterfowl carrying young during flight; however, expert ornithologists are still unsure how or when this method is used.
As of 1988, Stanford University reported 16 species of birds that have been observed carrying their babies in flight, including willets, woodcocks, and even a cuckoo.
It’s still not well understood how birds manage to carry their young in flight.
Ornithologists thus far have failed to observe even if the offspring are held in the beak, back, or talons.
Underwing Carrying Isn’t Common Among Birds
Another recorded method of carrying is underwing, though this is less frequently observed than aquatic carrying.
Some birds, specifically larger variations of waterfowls, will occasionally clutch a chick under their wing to lift and carry it by foot.
This requires the bird to have tremendous wing strength, as is usually the case in heavy waterfowl.
This isn’t a particularly graceful or efficient method of carrying, so it’s usually observed in a low-danger situation.
A mother fowl might carry a chick that has wandered from the nest underwing, but it’s unlikely to observe underwing carrying used to escape predators or travel any distance.
Other Means of Transporting Chicks
Other birds with more harsh environments have adapted to transport their young in other ways.
These methods of moving and carrying young are often unique to a particular species or geographic area:
- Between their feet. Penguins, for example, carry their eggs between their feet while they waddle about on the ice. This protects the egg from the brutal cold of the frigid environment and provides them with a way to move their nesting and areas without damaging the egg.
- Grab and toss. For the most part, birds aren’t strong enough to pick up their own young. However, some large birds, such as swans and storks, have enough muscular strength to pick up their hatchlings by tossing them out of the nest. While not truly a method of carrying, this is a rare feat in the bird kingdom. Sadly, this method of moving young is usually employed to reduce brood size and eliminate runts from a nest.
When Do Birds Carry Their Babies?
Birds usually don’t carry their babies unless they have to, like in dangerous circumstances.
Waterfowls are known to do this to move their babies away from danger, such as predators and the elements.
They do this because their babies are too small and young to swim.
A mother goose, for example, might carry her chicks on her back to safely move them across a river or pond.
Geese will often nest on small islands and sandbanks in freshwater bodies, and passage back and forth from the nest to shore is an example of when a waterfowl may perform an aquatic carry.
Waterfowl also may use aquatic carrying to move their young away from danger.
Carrying hatchlings naturally slows the swimming pace, so carrying isn’t usually an effective way of avoiding predators.
However, a mother fowl may carry her young away from water hazards or other natural dangers while feeding or swimming.
For the few species that do carry their young in flight, a bird might employ an aerial carry to return a fallen chick to the nest.
Because it’s so rare to observe an aerial carry, ornithologists still don’t understand very much about when such a maneuver is used.
Other methods of carrying depend on the species’ physical capacity and environmental surroundings.
For the most part, however, birds use other means to ensure the safety of their young and the continuation of the species.
This means reducing the need to move young by nesting in remote areas or abandoning nests in times of danger to start fresh in a safer environment.