Hi there! Have you ever noticed birds building nests in the springtime? If you look closely at bushes and trees, you might spot a bird’s nest made of dry grass and leaves. Some birds even make nests that look like little hanging purses! They use these nests to lay their eggs.
Someone named DeMario has a question: Why do birds lay eggs in the spring? Let’s find out!
Spring is a special time of year. The snow melts, flowers bloom, and plants grow new leaves. Birds start picking up twigs and other materials to build their nests. But why do they choose spring to lay their eggs?
In winter, it’s too cold for birds to keep their eggs warm. Plus, there’s not much food around because plants have lost their leaves and there aren’t many insects. So, winter isn’t a good time for birds to raise their chicks.
Summer is warm, and fall has lots of leaves and twigs for nests. But most birds still lay their eggs in spring. Why? It has to do with how baby birds grow up.
When baby birds hatch, they’re often very helpless. For example, baby robins don’t have feathers and can’t see. It takes weeks for them to grow and look like adult birds. Other birds, like ducklings, are born with feathers and open eyes but still need their parents to feed them.
During spring, you might hear baby birds chirping. This is how they tell their parents they’re hungry. The parents work hard to find food and bring it back to the nest. After a few weeks, the chicks are ready to leave the nest and practice flying. We call them fledglings.
Even though fledglings are almost as big as their parents, they still need help finding food. You might see them following their parents and making loud noises to ask for food.
All this growing up takes time. If birds waited until summer or fall to lay their eggs, there wouldn’t be enough time before winter for the chicks to grow up. That’s why spring is the best time for birds to lay eggs. It has warmer weather and more food than winter, and it gives baby birds plenty of time to grow and learn.
Thanks for the great question, DeMario! Remember, there are always new things to learn about the world around us. Stay curious, and keep asking questions!
Build Your Own Nest: Gather some natural materials like twigs, leaves, and grass from your backyard or a nearby park. Try to build a small nest just like a bird would. Think about why birds choose certain materials and how they make their nests strong and safe for their eggs. Once you’ve built your nest, discuss with a friend or family member why you chose those materials and how your nest might protect eggs.
Springtime Scavenger Hunt: Go on a scavenger hunt to find signs of spring. Look for blooming flowers, new leaves on trees, or insects buzzing around. As you explore, think about why these signs of spring are important for birds laying eggs. How do these changes in nature help birds find food and keep their eggs warm?
Bird Watching Journal: Spend some time observing birds in your area. Write down or draw what you see in a journal. Can you spot any birds building nests or feeding their chicks? What do you notice about the birds’ behavior? How do you think the warmer weather and availability of food in spring help the birds and their babies?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, it’s Doug. Springtime is the time of year when, if you look closely, especially in bushes and trees, you might spot a bird’s nest. Check out this one; it looks like a bunch of dry grass and leaves. It’s built by a bird that makes a nest resembling a purse. You can see it hangs down from the branches, and there’s a hole where the bird goes in to lay its eggs at the bottom.
Someone named DeMario has a question about birds. Let’s give him a call now.
Hi, DeMario.
Hi, Doug. I have a question for you. Why do birds lay eggs in the spring?
That’s a great question! Spring is when snow melts and flowers start to bloom. Plants begin to grow leaves again, and you might notice birds picking up little twigs off the ground and carrying them in their beaks. They’re gathering materials to build nests where they can lay their eggs. Many birds build their nests and lay their eggs in springtime rather than other seasons. Why do you think that is?
Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, you ready? You could probably guess why birds don’t lay their eggs in winter. In places with snowy winters, it’s too cold outside. Birds need to keep their eggs warm; they need to incubate them, or else the eggs won’t hatch. In winter, there’s also not a lot of food available for birds. Plants have dropped their leaves, and there aren’t many insects. The cold temperatures of winter make it difficult for most birds to raise their chicks.
What about summer or fall? Those seasons seem like they wouldn’t be too bad. Summer is warm, and fall has plenty of leaves and twigs for building nests. Yet, most birds still lay their eggs in spring. Why is that?
To figure out the answer, here’s an important clue: it has to do with how baby birds grow into adult birds. Some birds, when they’re first born, are totally helpless. For example, American robins haven’t grown any feathers, and their eyes are still covered with skin. They can’t even see. It takes weeks for these birds to grow big enough to look like what you might consider a bird. Other birds, like ducklings, are born with feathers and open eyes, but they still depend on their parents for food for weeks.
Throughout springtime, you might hear baby birds chirping. This is how they let their parents know they’re hungry. Scientists call this begging behavior. Chicks eat a lot and grow quickly, while their parents work hard to find food and bring it back to the nest. After a few weeks, most chicks are big enough to leave the nest, but they aren’t leaving their parents for good. It’s time for them to practice flying. At this point, we call them fledglings.
Even though fledglings are about the same size as their parents, they still can’t take care of themselves completely. They follow their parents around and beg for food. You might notice this in late spring if you see a bird making loud noises at another bird; it’s probably a fledgling begging for food.
All of this development—hatching from eggs, growing bigger, getting feathers, learning to fly—takes time. For most bird parents, if they waited to lay their eggs until summer or fall, there wouldn’t be enough time before winter for their chicks to develop fully.
In summary, most birds lay their eggs in spring because it has warmer weather and more food than winter, and babies born in spring have more time to grow and develop than they would if born in summer or fall.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, DeMario, for asking it! Now, for the next episode, I found three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: Are unicorns real? Why do we celebrate April Fool’s Day? Or how did the funny bone get its name?
So submit your vote when the video’s over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
