A Bluebird nest has no plumbing. Therefore, in addition to constantly flying around to look for worms and insects, the two parents have to keep the nest clean so that their babies can grow up in a disease free environment. The little ones naturally don’t do anything but eat and poop. Fortunately, nature has come up with a way for the parents to deal with their no-plumbing environment.
Lately I have seen them carry out what is called “fecal sacs” that they collect from the rear end of their babies. These sacs contain excretions (poop) from the digestive system, and the parents take them out to throw them far away from the nest. They are like diapers for birds.
Following is a series of photos I took these past few days to show how both parents perform their diaper duties.
With a brood of 3 to 7 babies, it really takes two adults to hunt for food and to carry out fecal sac disposal many times a day.
The female Bluebird shares with her mate the same diaper duties. The following photos, taken at different times, show her doing her share. She was too fast for me, or there was not enough light, so the photos turned out blurry.
Feeding their babies and cleaning after them constantly have taken their toll on the Bluebird parents. I think they have lost a good deal of weight compared to three or four weeks ago. Since Bluebirds usually have 2 to 3 broods each year, these parents may have a second set of babies to care for in a month or so!
dreamingthruthetwilight said:
Your posts are quite an education on the rearing routines of birds. Had no idea about what a feacal sac was. Beautiful photographs. You must have all the patience in the world.
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neihtn2012 said:
I have learned to be patient, thanks to bird photography. Thank you for visiting and commenting!
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Julie@frogpondfarm said:
Great shots Hien …How fascinating! I had no idea. I wonder whether it is the same for most birds ..
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Julie. Fecal sacs are produced by the young of most song birds.
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bluebrightly said:
This is such an interesting post, Hien. I’ve read about this and I’ve seen pictures, but I’ve never had the privilege to see the behavior in person. You have to spend some real time, observing patiently, right? And it’s worth it!
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neihtn2012 said:
It’s definitely worth it, even if it requires a lot of patience.
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Eliza Waters said:
Today on my woodland walk I noticed a number of fecal sacs on the ground. Clearly a nest is very nearby, possibly in the trees overhead, but I didn’t stop to see if I could see a parent or two around. I admire your patience in that department!
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neihtn2012 said:
Now that you mention it, I have not yet found the place where the Bluebirds dump their fecal sacs. The backyard has a lot of grass so they could be hidden and lost anywhere in it.
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Gunta said:
Heavens! Those bluebirds certainly have a tough job of it. But your photographic efforts have been well rewarded. I love the story they tell.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! I am glad you like this series.
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bayphotosbydonna said:
Hien, this is absolutely fascinating and something I never thought about with bird houses! Your photos are amazing!! Excellent post, thank you!!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Donna!
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Zoe Glover said:
Thank you for sharing the photos and information regarding baby birds fecal sacs. I saw these on another video and deduced that the parent birds were doing as you described. It was a hummingbird family and the parent did exactly as you described. I saw the mama bird pick at the baby bird’s rear end much like a mama cat cleans her kittens’ rear ends i supposed. These fact must be true for all birds? It make sense that they would keep the nest clean to keep all predators including ants from invading the nest. Thank you again for great photos and great post!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for commenting! Fecal sacs are a characteristic of many birds, but not all of them. Song birds with relatively lengthy nesting time do produce fecal sacs, and sometimes those sacs are eaten by one of the parents, usually the female!
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Zoe Glover said:
That’s what I thought I saw the hummingbird did with the fecal sac, she swallowed it, while the other parent, must be the male, flew away with it.
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Irene said:
Ah, I had no clue! I learned from you once again. Thank you. Your shots are fantastic. 😉
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Irene!
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princess2ears said:
You taught me something new today. Thank you!
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neihtn2012 said:
That’s good, and you are welcome.
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MichaelStephenWills said:
New information for me, amazing you captured the photographic proof.
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neihtn2012 said:
Michael, it was new for me also, until recently when I asked myself how they keep their nests clean.
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nhi nghiem said:
Very nice story, anh Hiền’
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Anh Nhi!
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Phebie said:
Yes it’s tough job.😅 Nice shots!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for commenting!
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milfordstreet said:
You must be very patient to get such amazing images.
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neihtn2012 said:
I kept missing the shots, until I pointed the camera not at the nest but at where they would be flying out.
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milfordstreet said:
Good strategy.
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ekurie said:
Blurry… she is likely getting rid of these sacs as quickly as possible. I know I would be. Thankful for hands. I had no idea.
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neihtn2012 said:
Ha, ha. You are right of course!
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Eliza Waters said:
Parenting is a tough job, isn’t it? 😉 Great post, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
It sure is, for both birds and humans. Thanks, Eliza!
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loisajay said:
I had no idea about this, Hien!
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neihtn2012 said:
Lois, I didn’t either until recently.
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katelon said:
I wonder if these fecal sacs are naturally attached to the babies or something the adult birds fashion and attach, like a diaper?
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neihtn2012 said:
Katelon, the fecal sac comes out of the babies when they poop.
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