AboutRoger Lederer Expertise Any and all about wild birds - the science of ornithology. Information about birdwatching, ecology, conservation, migration, behavior, banding, rehabilitation, feeding, songs, binoculars, identification, and careers in ornithology. No questions about pet or caged birds, please.
Experience Have a PhD and thirty eight years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, two bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 80 countries watching birds.
Question We have been having a pair of Purple Finches come to our feeder several times a day for the last few weeks. Today, a second female flew in right after the pair landed, and followed after the male, all puffed out and rapidly fluttering her wings while keeping her beak wide open. She paid no attention at all to the other female at the feeder, she just kept following after the male who, quite obviously, wanted nothing at all to do with her. The original pair took off, and the second female followed. A couple of hours later they returned, again with the second female doing the same thing. She would walk right up to the male with her beak open and rapidly fluttering her wings. What was this odd behavior?
Answer Actually, this is very common behavior. What the second female really is is a young bird begging from the parents. The parents feed the youngsters for a week or two after they leave the nest but then try to wean them. The young one will beg until it figures out that mom and dad are not going to feed it anymore.
