Birdland Celebrates Feathered Mums for Mothers Day!

Staff at Bourton-on-the-Water’s Birdland are paying tribute to some of the best of Bird Mums for a weekend celebration as part of Mother’s Day. (Saturday 29th & Sunday, March 30th). This is the time of year that the residents are starting to lay and sit on eggs and their progress is closely monitored by the bird-keeping team.

Over the weekend, the talks programme will highlight some of Birdland’s hard-working mums, so you can hear more about how birdlife looks after its young.

Birdland’s Head-Keeper, Alistair explained: “In fact in some cases it’s the males that actually do most of the hard work when it comes to looking after the babies. Last year at Birdland, we welcomed a Cassowary chick and with Cassowaries, it is the male who incubates the egg and looks after the hatchling.

He sits on the nest for up to two months. Once the brown-and-tan striped chicks hatch, it’s the male who leads them to his regular feeding grounds, protecting them and teaching them the ways of the world. Youngsters stay with their father for up to 16 months.”

Amazing Bird Mum Facts:

• Burrowing Owls burrow underground where several eggs will be laid, away from prying eyes.
• The Flamingos build a nest cone of mud up to a foot high to protect their single egg from flooding.
• Female pheasants make a scrape on the floor and lay up to 8 eggs which they will incubate and hope that their dull coloured plummage will help camouflage them
• Pigeons build a flimsy nest on a platform of twigs and lay 2 eggs.
• Parrots will find holes in trees in which to nest.
• Female Cassowaries are possibly one of the laziest of bird mothers, she will lay eggs in the nests of several males then leave them to incubate and rear the young.
• Possibly the most committed mother is the female Trumpeter Hornbill, she will seal herself into a cavity in a tree (or a nest box at Birdland) using mud, droppings and saliva. She will leave a narrow gap through which the male can feed her for the following three months whilst she lays eggs, incubates them and hatchs the chicks. Once the chicks are full size they will then break out