Are White Winged male Doves good bird fathers when compared to Hummingbird males? After carefully observing the constant movement of the White Winged male Dove protecting his mate and...

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

After carefully observing the constant movement of the White Winged male Dove protecting his mate and offspring, I came to the conclusion that he and his mate forego eating while they let their teenage son move around at will, as he finds seeds and stuffs his beak. Everywhere junior goes, his mother and father follow him, keeping watch for predators and encouraging him to eat and learn how to survive in the wild. I read that this behavior is a far cry from the hummingbird male, who takes off and leaves all of the incubation chores and feeding to the female as soon as the eggs arrive. That's seems to be even worse behavior than the Cowbirds who steal other birds' used nests! Who knew all this was happening in the bird world, while we were locked down with the pandemic? Comments welcome. Shooter41

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NMGal Loc: NE NM

I didn’t know that about the doves and the hummers. Great photo.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

Shooter41 wrote:

After carefully observing the constant movement of... (show quote)

Perhaps the worst absentee parent is the Cuckoo. The female will lay an egg in another bird's nest. When the young, usually larger, Cuckoo hatches it will either kill or push the other baby birds from the nest so it can get all of the food from the adoptive parents.

Cuckoos are a lot larger than their clock counterparts would have you believe.

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

NMGal wrote:

I didn’t know that about the doves and the hummers. Great photo.

Dear NMGal...Oh, You!

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

flip1948 wrote:

Perhaps the worst absentee parent is the Cuckoo. The female will lay an egg in another bird's nest. When the young, usually larger, Cuckoo hatches it will either kill or push the other baby birds from the nest so it can get all of the food from the adoptive parents.

Cuckoos are a lot larger than their clock counterparts would have you believe.

Dear flip1948...You are a compendium of knowledge as well as a gentleman! Shooter41

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Shooter41 wrote:

After carefully observing the constant movement of... (show quote)

You may be giving male hummers too much credit. They have no participation (other than the actual mating) in the nesting. Cow-birds are the barrack obummers of the avian community, held in very high disapproval. Life imitates nature?

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

davidrb wrote:

You may be giving male hummers too much credit. They have no participation (other than the actual mating) in the nesting. Cow-birds are the barrack obummers of the avian community, held in very high disapproval. Life imitates nature?

Dear davidrb...You are absolutely correct. I have been giving male hummers and cow birds too much credit and not being fully cognizant of some human existence being an imitation of occasional irresponsible bird psychology. The next time I see a irresponsible male hummer or a sneaky cowbird, I'm going to let them know that I don't appreciate their lack of responsibility and recommend they begin bird therapy immediately! Tee Hee. Shooter41.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Dunno, but awesome shot 🌀🎖️💙🌀🎖️

Shooter41 Loc: Wichita, KS

joecichjr wrote:

Dunno, but awesome shot 🌀🎖️💙🌀🎖️

THANKS, JOE!