ZEBRA DOVES - 5. The chicks are about to fledge

So far so good! The nest and the birds have not been molested. The chicks are now 10 days old and will be fledging soon. There are three of them and the oldest has started exercising its wings. The parent birds regularly feed and preen the chicks.

The nest looks a bit crowded and the chicks have been left to themselves for longer periods. The parent birds fly in separately at irregularly intervals to feed them.

If the day shift bird is indeed a male, as in the case of Pink-necked Pigeons, then it would seem that the male is spending less time looking after the chicks than the female. The female bird, the one taking on the night shift and spending all her time in the nest throughout the night, now leaves a few hours earlier. Sounds familiar?