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Birding/odd behavior of a cardinal fledgling

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Expert: - 6/28/2007


Question
Hi

I have a cardinal nest and I have been watching it for a couple of days. And today the cardinal fledgling took its first flights around 2:00 and now i've been waiting for them to come back to their nest for 8 hours.Why wont they come back?


Answer
Well, I'm not sure of what you are saying. When baby cardinals leave the nest (fledging), they are unable to fly. They jump out of the nest and the parents feed them on the ground until they can fly - about 10 days later. They do not fly from the nest and do not return to the nest. Now, a young bird may fly back to the nest just because it is nearby as a place to perch, but they are through with the nest once they leave it.

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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

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