You are here:
Birding/Birds
Advertisement
Question
How do mother birds know to warm their eggs?
Mother birds have a "brood pouch", an unfeathered area on their belly, which actually touches the eggs. Like you can detect hot or cold with your finger, the mother bird can tell the temperature of her eggs and whether or not they need to be warmed. Roger Lederer at Ornithology.com
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Roger 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 over forty years as a professional ornithologist - research, teaching, author, speaker, webmaster of Ornithology.com . Have written thirty scientific papers, three bird field guides, a textbook in ecology and two recent books entitled "Amazing Birds" and "Birds of New England". Have traveled to over 90 countries watching birds.
Education/Credentials
PhD in Zoology/Ornithology; Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences; former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at California State University, Chico
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.