Class is in Session
Chicks learn many behaviors from their adult counterparts. The male, who has rarely delivered sticks in recent weeks, spends the mornings of week 8 1/2 showing off his contribution to nest building. He delivers twigs and branches and the female weaves them into place.
Pre-copulation activity has not escaped this chick’s power of observation; here he is seen mounting an unwilling mother.
Near the end of week 7 the male bathed repeatedly around the nesting platform. One couldn’t help but wonder if the one chick who had been whitewashed by a sibling was expected to accept the hint and follow suit.
