Flying the nest

At this time of year fledgling birds are everywhere: trailing after their parents begging for food, copying the behaviour of adults, and generally figuring out how to make their way in the big wide world. Sometimes, it may be obvious that a bird is a fledgling: for example, if they are begging noisily from a parent. Perhaps the most obvious example is the giant pīpīwharauroa chick begging from their tiny riroriro/grey warbler foster parent!

Other times, however, it can be more subtle, like fluffed-up feathers, or awkwardness in flight/landing. Similar to toddlers, fledglings are discovering how this whole flying and movement thing works: so, if you see a bird plonking onto a branch and nearly falling off, picking up food and then clumsily dropping it, or landing on an offshoot that clearly can’t support its weight, it may well be a fledgling.

There are also physical characteristics in some species that can help you distinguish fledglings from adult birds—below are some things to look out for in the manu/birds around the valley!

• Kākā: fledglings and juveniles have a pale ring around their eyes, which fades gradually as they age.  

• Kākāriki: recent fledglings have pinkish/grey bills (as opposed to the adult’s white with a black tip at the end of the bill). They also have an orange iris instead of scarlet.  

• Tūī: juveniles have browner bodies and lack the classic tūī throat tuft.

Photo credit: Kākā fledgling by Judi Lapsley Miller