Birds exhibit a wide range of parenting behaviors, with some species being incredibly protective and attentive with their young, while others take a more hands-off approach. When it comes to the most protective mother birds, a few key species stand out for their fierce devotion to defending and caring for their chicks.
Ostriches
The ostrich is often considered one of the most protective mother birds. Ostrich hens incubate their eggs for over a month and after they hatch, they diligently guard and raise the chicks called chicks for up to 6 months. Ostrich mothers are so dedicated that they will stand, sit or lie on their eggs almost constantly during incubation. They may only leave the nest for around 30 minutes per day to eat, drink and defecate. The eggs and chicks are very vulnerable, so the mother ostrich must be constantly alert against predators like lions, hyenas and jackals. If she senses a threat, she will use her powerful legs to kick and deter attackers. Ostrich hens have even been known to sacrifice themselves to protect their chicks from harm.
Key Facts
- Ostrich eggs take around 42 days to hatch.
- A dominant hen may mate with multiple males and lay 5-15 eggs in a communal nest.
- Young ostriches form crèches of up to 50 chicks that the mother helps guard.
- Ostriches can run at over 40 mph and use kicks as defense against predators.
- The mother stands over the nest to shade the eggs from the hot sun.
Chickens
The common domestic chicken is also known for having strong mothering instincts. Chicken hens typically lay 10-15 eggs in a clutch and incubate them for 21 days before they hatch. The mother hen will be very defensive of her nest and may attack anything she sees as a threat, including humans, dogs and other chickens. She ruffles her feathers to make herself look bigger and fiercely pecks, scratches and flaps her wings at intruders. For the first few weeks, the mother hen will brood her vulnerable chicks to keep them warm. She teaches them how to find food, monitors them constantly, and will call to warn them of danger. Reports exist of mother hens sacrificing their lives trying to protect chicks from foxes and other predators.
Key Facts
- Broody hens stop laying eggs and focus on incubating.
- Mother hens cluck softly to bond with and summon their chicks.
- Chicks are able to leave the nest after 12-24 hours.
- A mother hen and chicks form a social unit called a clutch.
- She continues protecting them for 4-6 weeks until they can survive alone.
Trumpeter Swans
Trumpeter swans form life-long pair bonds and work together to raise their young called cygnets. However, the mother swan or pen is particularly protective. She starts by aggressively defending her nesting territory against any intruders who get too close. Trumpeter swans nest on islands or along marshes and ponds, with the female carefully building a large mound of vegetation for the eggs. Once the cygnets hatch after about a month of incubation, the pen stays very close to them and leads them to areas with aquatic vegetation to feed. If predators like foxes, racoons or snapping turtles approach, she may hiss, chase or smack them with her wings and feet. The protective mother continues to guard her gray cygnets until they can fly at 4-5 months old.
Key Facts
- Trumpeter swans typically lay 3-5 eggs once a year.
- The eggs weigh around 6-7 ounces each.
- The young swans or cygnets cannot fly for nearly 5 months.
- A trumpeter swan can live to over 20 years old.
- They form monogamous pair bonds that often last for life.
Canadian Geese
Canadian geese are very protective parents, especially the mother goose. They build their nests on the ground near water, laying 3-8 eggs. The female incubates the eggs for around 28 days while the male stands guard. Once the goslings hatch, the parents immediately lead them to water where they feel more secure from predators. The gander father stays nearby to keep watch, but the mother goose devotes herself fully to caring for the goslings. She broods them on shore, feeds them, and leads them to different spots to forage. Canadian geese become very defensive if they sense a threat to their young. They may charge, chase, flap wings or bite at any perceived predators that approach including other geese, dogs and humans. Their aggressive behavior is because they cannot fly again until their feathers grow in at 6-9 weeks, making goslings vulnerable.
Key Facts
- Goslings hatch covered in yellowish down.
- They can walk and swim within a day of hatching.
- The young stay with their parents for nearly a year.
- A group of geese is called a gaggle.
- Mother geese may adopt orphaned goslings.
Bald Eagles
Bald eagles mate for life and work together to defend their nest of 1-3 eggs. However, the female bald eagle takes on most of the actual parenting duties. She incubates the eggs for about 35 days, barely ever leaving the nest. Once the eaglets hatch, the female continues protecting them and tears food into small pieces to feed them. If the male brings in prey, she will take over preparing meals for the eaglets. Young eaglets are still vulnerable in the huge nests which are often built in tall trees or cliffs. Bald eagles are very sensitive to threats to their nest and will chase away or attack anything intruding including possums, ravens, hawks and humans. The mother continues feeding and watching the eaglets for 4-5 months until their first flight.
Key Facts
- Eagles build the largest tree nests of any North American bird.
- The nests measure 4-5 feet across and weigh 250-3000 pounds.
- Bald eagles can live over 28 years in the wild.
- They start breeding around age 4-5.
- Only 50% of eaglets survive to adulthood.
Wood Ducks
Female wood ducks demonstrate strong mothering instincts as they raise large broods of ducklings alone. They nest in tree cavities near water, laying 8-15 whitish eggs that take about 30 days to incubate. Shortly after they hatch, the mother wood duck calls the ducklings to leap down from the tree in their first act of survival. The mother then leads them directly to water where she can best protect them and find food. Mother wood ducks are very protective and will hiss at or feign injury to distract predators. However, they may have to defend their young against other female wood ducks. Females often dump eggs into each other’s nests, leading to competition. The mother wood duck will brood her ducklings on shore and closely monitor them for 50-60 days until they can fly.
Key Facts
- Mother wood ducks carry their young in their mouth to relocate nests.
- Ducklings can swim and feed themselves shortly after hatching.
- They feed on aquatic plants, insects, tadpoles and small fish.
- Wood ducks nest in trees since their ground nests were often destroyed.
- Drakes do not participate at all in raising the brood.
Great Horned Owls
Female great horned owls take on most parenting duties and are staunch defenders of their nests. Nesting in tree cavities, rock crevices or even abandoned buildings, the mother owl lays 1-4 eggs over a month which she incubates alone. If disturbed, she hisses, clicks her beak, swipes with her talons and may attack perceived threats. After hatching, the owlets are covered in white down and cared for in the nest where they are very vulnerable. Great horned owl mothers are devoted providers who tear apart prey and feed it to their young. If the male brings food, she takes over preparing it for the owlets. She broods them for warmth, protects them from predators, and keeps the nest clean. After branching out at 6-7 weeks, the owlets remain under their mother’s care until leaving the nest for good at 12-13 weeks.
Key Facts
- Great horned owl clutches are laid from late winter to early spring.
- The incubated eggs take about 30-35 days to hatch.
- Owlets weigh only around 2 ounces at birth.
- They depend on the mother for food and protection.
- Young owls start branching out at 6-7 weeks but cannot yet fly.
Willow Ptarmigan
Male and female willow ptarmigans pair together each breeding season to nest and raise young. However, the mother ptarmigan takes the lead in incubating eggs and caring for the chicks after they hatch. The female lays 6-8 eggs in a scrape on the ground lined with vegetation. She incubates them for 21-23 days while the male defends the territory. Once they hatch, the chicks have downy brown plumage for camouflage. The mother ptarmigan shows extreme dedication to protecting her young. She broods them frequently to keep them warm and leads them to berry patches for food. If a predator approaches, she may feign a broken wing to lure danger away from the chicks. The chicks stick close by her side for protection until they gain the ability to fly at 10-12 days.
Key Facts
- Willow ptarmigan chicks grow quickly, gaining 1 pound in under 3 weeks.
- The mother ptarmigan may renest if a clutch fails.
- She makes high-pitched alarm calls if a threat is detected.
- Willow ptarmigans molt into white winter plumage.
- The young stay with the female until the following breeding season.
Conclusion
When it comes to devoted mothering and diligent parenting, birds exhibit a wide range of instincts and behaviors. Several bird speciesstand out as among the most protective mothers based on their fierce nest defence, attentive chick rearing and willingness to risk their own lives. Ostriches, chickens, trumpeter swans, Canadian geese, bald eagles, wood ducks, great horned owls and willow ptarmigans are some of the most protective avian mothers. However, almost all bird mothers feel a strong biological drive to nurture and guard their young. Their tireless dedication ensures that the chicks can survive to sustain future generations.
