[A white morph male Blyth’s paradise-flycatcher in breeding plumage sits on a nest, which is covered in moss and positioned in a narrow tree branch. He hops off, flying away as a female approaches and lands on the nest. She remains perched on the edge of the nest for several seconds, then hops in to sit on the nest.] [Explore Macaulaylibrary.org]
End of transcriptBlyth’s Paradise-Flycatchers Alternate Nest Responsibilities
Balancing parenting with foraging can be difficult, but birds such as these Blyth’s Paradise-Flycatchers seem to have the schedule worked out. To ensure that both parents have an opportunity to feed without leaving their eggs unsupervised, many passerine parents will take shifts on the nest incubating their eggs.
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 Sophie C Orzechowski, Macaulay Library