The Domestic Life of Birds

Yellowthroat warbler

Jubilation from the treetops: My place and purpose are here.

Kingbird gathering nesting material

Kingbird on nest

Briefly putting aside their gypsy lives birds materialize engineering skills from inherited codes.

Tree swallows

Brown thrasher

Young ones have to grow quickly into self-sufficiency so that both parents and chicks survive the vulnerability of the nest. The parents try to disguise their steady trips for food.

House wren delivering a morsel

Blue jay marauding at the wren house

The little ones will have to be quick and elusive when they emerge.

Cardinal with captured dragonfly

The early development of some vegetarian species requires protein from omnivorous sources. This mother cardinal is proving herself an adept hunter outside her own diet.

Barn swallow juveniles and parent

After the youngsters have fledged the parents of many species keep up their tutorials and meal supplements.

Male towhee proclaims the territory and triumph of procreation.