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Red-legged Crake chick learns to forage

on 4th March 2010

Henry Koh a.k.a. HK2000 documented an adult Red-legged Crake (Rallina fasciata) teaching its chick to forage. The adult bird is seen picking up a grub and feeding it to the chick. This is a common sight with recently fledged chicks.

Nesting chicks are fed by the two parents who regularly bring them food. When the chicks fledge, this feeding continues. After all, the fledglings need to be taught how to forage. And it takes two weeks or so before the fledglings become independent.

The fledglings need to learn how to fly, how to recognise food, how to avoid predators and a host of other survival lessons. Thus for the next week or two, depending on the species, the adults take great care of the fledglings, feeding them and encouraging them to fly longer and longer distances. The chicks will constantly beg for food and the adults use food to encourage them to fly longer and longer distances.

Without the adults to teach the fledglings these survival tactics, they will invariably become food for predators. This is one reason why the public should never take a chick displaced from its nest home and look after it – see HERE. Invariable the displaced chick, once released into the wild, will become food for predators.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

2 Responses

  1. Corny jokes make me laugh… I feel depressed. I shall not continue this series. I don’t enjoy comedy. I’ll attempt the next episode though… Might take a week or two though.

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