Скачать или смотреть Green Heron Chicks Fight for Food and Other Risky Nest Behaviors

Green heron chicks fight for food and take risks in nest at Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland, Florida. Three little ones aggressively grab at parents' beaks trying to one-up each other for their fresh catch. When there's no food to fight for, chicks spend time learning to get around the nest, flapping their wings, and even playing, copying, and competing with each other. This is helpful for strengthening their muscles and readying them for their first flight, however sometimes they risk falling out of nest as they get too close to the edge and lose balance. They'll fledge around 16 days after hatching and still be fed by parents for another 2-3 weeks. Like most green heron nests this one wasn't an easy find. They generally are concealed in low trees, shrubs, and other vegetation along the waterways. If it weren't for the out of place "white fuzz" I saw under the green heron I might have missed these little cuties.