Blackbirds (1 Viewer)

[Peewit]

Hi there

A question that I would be interested in finding out about from so many knowledgeable people here. :-O

If a Female blackbird loses a mate while she is nesting with offspring .. will another Male blackbird step in the help her at all

Are Male Blackbirds happy to feed another Male Blackbird offspring at all?

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[JTweedie]

Would they not be likely to kill the young birds/destroy the eggs and then try and mate with the female?

 

[TheBirdGarden]

That is a good question, I would be interested to see an answer as for Blackbirds are one of my favourite birds.

 

[Peewit]

Would they not be likely to kill the young birds/destroy the eggs and then try and mate with the female?

Hi ThebirdGarden: Yes, blackbirds are one of my favourites too - such characters that make them unique.

Hi JTweedie

I wondered about that, and hoped for another less finalised answer like destroying an existing family unit.

On the other hand do Mrs Blackbirds cope with being alone plus having had offspring?

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Pyxel]

Does that happen a lot with birds, where a male will come in and destroy the eggs or kill the chicks of females who have lost their mates? And if so, would the female make any attempt to chase the male?

 

[JTweedie]

They showed last year on Springwatch a Little Ringed Plover male killing young birds then mating with the female. And there was also a scene showing a Swallow throwing young Swallows out of a nest, and if I remember right, they thought this was not the father of these young birds.

 

[Fozzybear]

I think it happens more than you'd think, also with mammals - male lions and bears certainly will kill cubs in order to bring the female back into oestrus.

 

[Peewit]

Thank you for your answers everyone

So it appears that the 'new' male does not accept another males nestlings at all. :-C

Interesting

Regards
Kathy
x

 

[Rayfox]

From what I have seen, the new cock would have to do the dirty deed while the female was away from the nest.

A female blackbird is quite capable of seeing off the cock, if she wishes.

 

[WagTailWag]

I heard a thud upstairs yesterday morning and assumed it to be a wood pigeon harmlessly bouncing off the window as this has happened before. Later when I went out I found a dead female blackbird lying on the ground....

...today a male blackbird has been mooching around the trees looking very glum indeed, still waiting for his beloved to return.

I had know idea that they make such emotional attachments!

 

[TheBirdGarden]

I heard a thud upstairs yesterday morning and assumed it to be a wood pigeon harmlessly bouncing off the window as this has happened before. Later when I went out I found a dead female blackbird lying on the ground....

...today a male blackbird has been mooching around the trees looking very glum indeed, still waiting for his beloved to return.

I had know idea that they make such emotional attachments!

The only thing that separates us from other animals is that we have a conscience. They can feel grief, anger and remorse

 

[David FG]

The only thing that separates us from other animals is that we have a conscience. They can feel grief, anger and remorse

That's a bit of a sweeping statement, isn't it?

Anger, maybe.

Grief? Some mammals appear to demonstrate what looks to us like it, but not being able to get inside their heads we really have very little idea.

Remorse? Hardly - to feel remorse they would have to have some sort of moral sense and I am not aware that there is any evidence that any animal species does. And certainly not a bird.

It is a mistake to try to bolt human emotions onto other animal species.

 

[David FG]

Thank you for your answers everyone

So it appears that the 'new' male does not accept another males nestlings at all. :-C

Interesting

Regards
Kathy
x

The question to ask is why on earth would it? What possible advantage would accrue from that - except, just possibly, if the two males were siblings or otherwise related?

 

[Rayfox]

I heard a thud upstairs yesterday morning and assumed it to be a wood pigeon harmlessly bouncing off the window as this has happened before. Later when I went out I found a dead female blackbird lying on the ground....

...today a male blackbird has been mooching around the trees looking very glum indeed, still waiting for his beloved to return.

I had know idea that they make such emotional attachments!

Sounds like you have though rooms and windows, where it appears to birds that they can fly straight through one window and out the other, this is why birds fly into windows. (Hope its understandable how I've written it)

You can buy bird of prey stickers for the windows, this will stop this event happening again.
It works 100% for me, the same pitiful event happened many times before I read about these stickers.
There must be 1000s of birds killed each year, especially where the people have no idea why its happening.

I purchased mine from the W&WT, but I think you can buy them at plenty more places such as RSPB, garden centres etc. Only cost a couple of £s or so, theres 4 or 5 stickers per pack.

 

[Fozzybear]

I've found the stickers help but the birds do still occasionally fly into the windows with them on... they avoid where the stickers are though so maybe I need enough stickers to completely cover the glass.

 

[King Edward]

Back to the original topic of black birds (of a different kind); in his book 'The Raven' Derek Ratcliffe reports a number of instances of step-parenting in Ravens. Mostly these involved cases where one of a pair had died/been killed and the remaining bird found a new mate (sometimes even the same day) who then helped to care for the chicks. There was even one case where both male and female had been killed together and a new pair took over and reared the chicks.

 

[Davy Tee]

Very interesting observation KE but surley the whole point of breeding is to carry the individuals genes on. Therefore i am amazed that another male bird would foster another brood. Goes against evolution. Good question though.

 

[David FG]

Very interesting observation KE but surley the whole point of breeding is to carry the individuals genes on. Therefore i am amazed that another male bird would foster another brood. Goes against evolution. Good question though.

I agree, and at the risk of out-Dawkinsing Dawkins, all organisms are basically machines built by their genes to make more genes.

There is no reason at all to raise the young of another individual UNLESS they are in some way related, and thus share at least some genetic material.

 

[Rayfox]

I agree, and at the risk of out-Dawkinsing Dawkins, all organisms are basically machines built by their genes to make more genes.

There is no reason at all to raise the young of another individual UNLESS they are in some way related, and thus share at least some genetic material.

Spot on, but like everything else thers always exceptions.

 

[Pyxel]

I find it interesting how bengalese finches will sit on the eggs or rear the chicks of other birds even when they don't have any eggs or chicks of their own. In fact, many say two cocks together make better foster parents than a pair or two hens. I know it's not as impressive as if birds in the wild done such a thing as bengalese were created in captivity, but still...