The children’s story of Horton Hatches The Egg, by Dr. Seuss, tells the story of an elephant who is tricked into sitting on an egg, while its mother Mayzie, takes a vacation in Palm Beach.

In real life, like Mayzie, who didn’t want the responsibility of raising her young, there is a phenomenon called Avian brood parasitism, where certain species of birds lay their eggs in the nests of others, which relieves them from the challenge of parenting their young. In the Americas, the species of cowbirds and striped cuckoos are examples of parasitic birds. In fact, cowbirds are not fussy, including more than 250 different hosts nests to choose from.

There are two main types of Avian brood parasites. Facultative brood parasites will often build their own nests and on occasion, will lay eggs in the nests of others. Obligate brood parasites have evolved to never make their own nests, and rely on other birds to raise their young.

Adding to the mix, some parasitism is intra-specific where the parent places its eggs in the nest of the same species. Of the 200 species of birds that use this strategy, more than one-third are waterfowl. Inter-specific parasitism like the cowbirds, is when the parent lays the eggs in the nest of other species. In some situations, the parent seems to choose specific types of nests.

The host species have several ways of reacting to the invasion of their nest.

1. Chase off the invader.
2. Recognize the different egg and remove it from the nest.
3. If not noticing the difference, they incubate as usual.

To discover more:

Brood Parasitism in Birds

The Ecology of Avian Brood Parasitism

Another sign of the changing season has become apparent over this past week with the nightly entertainment of an amphibian anthem to spring.

If you live anywhere near a bog, marsh, and/or swamp, you’ll recognize the unmistakable sound of singing frogs. These songsters are tiny frogs with big voices, the spring Peepers - pseudacris crucife.

Here are some fun facts about these tiny troubadours:

1. Spring peepers belong to a group of frogs called “Chorus fronts” and can sing through the night.
2. They are eastern amphibians and can be found in the eastern part of our country, from Canada all the way to northern Florida.
3. The male peeper sings to attract females, who are drawn to the chirping. Usually these peeping sounds are repeated about 20 times a minute, but the females are attracted to the males who sing the loudest and fastest. The singer puffs out its throat to amplify the song.
4. The singing often originates with a trio, with the lowest call starting off the round.
5. The females will lay from 750 to 1,200 eggs underwater and the male will fertilize the eggs during the laying process. The eggs will hatch in about 2 to 12 days, depending on the weather.
6. Coolest fact: Unlike most amphibians, spring peepers do not bury themselves deep in the mud to protect themselves from freezing temperatures. As the temperature drops below freezing, the frog begins developing its own type of “anti-freeze” to protect its organs. Thus, 70% of the frog’s body can actually freeze. Without a heartbeat, the frog appears to be dead. But once spring comes, the frog essentially thaws out and wakes up. It takes a while to become fully functional, but when it does, they are ready to head out and celebrate spring in song.

To discover more about these amazing birds:

Spring Peeper

Fun Facts About Spring Peepers

Today we returned to the rookery (where you’ll find a group of nests close together) in Gilford and were delighted to see all six nests had herons in them.

The female will lay between 3-5, pale blue eggs and both males and females take turns incubating the eggs which take from 25-30 days. The joint parenting continues as both parents feed the young through regurgitation during the nesting period which lasts between 65-90 days. In our part of the country, Great Blue Herons have one brood per year.

Cool Facts:

1. Despite their huge size, they only weigh 5 to 6 pounds. Like all birds, they have hollow bones.
2. The population of Great Blue Herons has benefited from the resurgence of beaver populations who create a network of ponds and swamps where the herons can feed.
3. These herons can hunt at night as well as during the day, due to special photoreceptors in their eyes. In addition, they have excellent binocular vision with antiglare protection and incredible depth perception.
4. Great Blue Herons have specialized neck structures. The vertebrae have been modified to allow them to curl their necks into a curvy S shape, allowing them to forcefully and quickly strike their prey.

To discover more about these amazing birds:

Great Blue Heron Identification

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

This past weekend, we ventured out to a local pond and discovered to our delight that it was a rookery for six Great Blue Herons, who have returned from their yearly migration south. These statuesque birds are the largest of the North American herons and are easily recognized with their long legs and neck, sharp bill and shaggy plumage.

Their ability to stand completely still, slow meandering stride and leisurely, undulating flight patterns seem to deny the fact that they are lightning fast when spotting prey, swiftly stabbing their prey with their dagger sharp beaks.

Males arrive first in the spring, choose nest sites usually in the trees, and then make the effort to attract later arriving females. The nest building is a joint effort, with the males gathering the nest material and giving them to the female. She then builds the cup-shaped nest and lines it with pine needles. This process can take from 3 days up to 3 weeks.

One interesting fact is that the shaggy plumage serves a purpose. These specialized feathers continually grow and fray. Using a specific fringed claw on their middle toes, they comb down feathers and remove oils and slime from fish as they preen.

Part 2 in next week’s Nature Corner will explore more about these amazing birds.