29 April 2024
When Carla and Ecco’s third egg hatched on 24 April we expected that all three chicks would thrive but our expectations had to change as we watched the third chick in its first days of life. By yesterday afternoon it was apparent that the third chick had died. He had trouble feeding and never grew. Unfortunately he failed to thrive.
This slideshow from the National Aviary snapshot camera shows key moments that indicate he was not in good condition on 26-28 April. For instance:
- During feedings the third chick faced away or fell down.
- On 26 April he motored far from the group during a feeding.
- By dawn on Sunday 28 April his body was flat and unresponsive. He had probably died overnight.
The remaining two chicks are growing rapidly and doing well. They are nearly too large to brood.
Watch them grow up at the National Aviary falconcam at Univ of Pittsburgh.
(photos from the National Aviary snapshot camera at Univ of Pittsburgh)
Always so sad to see. I remember two years ago the forth chick to hatch of Morela’s babies failed to thrive (though he has some spunk for a few days!). Is this common with the eggs that hatch later? Could it be caused by getting a late start and being out competed for food by the older siblings- or is the later hatching a sign they were already struggling?
The last to hatch is usually the egg that was laid after incubation began. It isn’t always the case that these chicks don’t survive but they are fighting an uphill battle.
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for your interesting and thoughtful posts. Will the adults at some point remove the chick that didn’t survive – and/or the nonviable egg? I can’t remember what happened in previous years.
Melissa, Carla and Ecco will eventually move the unhatched egg to the side, probably as far as the wall where it will remain until someone (human) cleans the nestbox. And, one way or another, the adults will remove the dead chick, probably within a week.
So very sad. Thanks Kate.
Forgive the crass question, but do the adults ever eat the dead chick or unhatched egg?
None eat the unhatched egg. Some eat the dead body, others don’t. In any case the dead body must be removed lest it smell and attract vultures or other undesirable predators. The key is that they wait until it is had been dead for more than a day.