[Shot of bluethroat nest with chicks. Adult bluethroat flies in and lands on nest. Adult feeds chicks and looks around. After several feedings, adult hops into nest to brood chicks. Adult settles down on top of chicks, and raises and lowers head feathers several times.] [Explore Macaulaylibrary.org]
End of transcriptA Bluethroat Feeds and Broods Chicks on Its Nest
Bluethroat mothers work hard to keep their nestlings warm and dry in a nest on the ground under grasses or shrubs, lined with fur from cattle and reindeer. The female sits on this nest throughout the night; however, during the day she leaves to find food for herself and her chicks. To keep the location of her nest hidden from predators, she and other ground-nesting species often weave through the low vegetation away from their young before flying into the open.
This video accompanies Chapter 11, Breeding Biology of Birds, Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd Edition from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Wiley Publishing.
Recorded by Luke J Eberhart-Phillips, Macaulay Library