Search

Online Video Guide

Life of Birds: The Demands of the Egg

Now Playing
Life of Birds
FULL EPISODE

Life of Birds

The Demands of the Egg

Because birds need to be light in order to fly, each egg must be laid as soon as it is produced and then kept both warm and protected. The vast majority of birds make nests of some kind, although others may dump their eggs on the ground, lay them on bare branches or even nest behind waterfalls. Australian warblers use their beaks like a sewing machine to stitch leaves together, and apostle birds use them to trowel mud on their nests. Palm swifts rely on no more than spit and feathers to keep their eggs safely suspended on vertical leaves, while in Argentina there are parrots which burrow in to sheer cliffs. The female hornbill seals herself within a tree hole and is totally dependent on her mate to feed her for the four months until the chicks are well grown. A kiwi laying an egg really brings tears to the eyes, the egg, shown with an X-ray view inside the body, is a quarter of the bird.
$1.99  |  Amazon Video on Demand
Length: 50:00  Posted: 1/25/2008

Related Links

Life of Birds

Three years in the making, Life of Birds traverses the globe, visiting 42 countr...

Life of Birds

Parents may have to keep their chicks warm or cool, fed and healthy for months b...

Life of Birds

In a highly competitive market, male birds go to enormous lengths to display the...
Advertisement