Flight is one of the most amazing feats in the animal kingdom. For birds, learning to fly is a complex process that requires coordination, strength, and practice. Though flying seems almost instinctual for adult birds, it is a skill that juveniles must develop and master as they grow. Understanding how young birds learn this incredible ability provides insight into both avian development and evolution.
When do birds learn to fly?
The age at which birds first take flight depends on the species. However, most songbirds fledge, or take their first flight, between 10-14 days after hatching. Larger birds, like gulls, often fledge around 5-6 weeks. Smaller species, such as hummingbirds, may fledge as early as 18-22 days after hatching.
Several factors determine when a juvenile will take its first flight:
- Feather development – Flight feathers on the wings need to be fully grown and operational.
- Muscle growth – Breast muscles essential for flying must be well-developed.
- Fat stores – Energy reserves in the form of fat tissue are necessary to fuel early flight attempts.
- Coordinated movements – Fledging requires integrating the complex movements of flapping, balancing, steering, and landing.
- Parental cues – Parents encourage first flights with calls, prodding, and demonstrations.
Once a bird has met these developmental criteria, is motivated by parental signals, and has a strong instinct to fly, it will take the leap and attempt that first flight.
What abilities do young birds need to fly?
Juvenile birds use several physiological adaptations and skills when learning to fly:
Feather development
Feathers are essential for flight. As chicks grow, their flight feathers develop sequentially on the wings. These large, stiff feathers provide the airfoil surface needed to generate lift and thrust. Juveniles ‘exercise’ their wings frequently as the feathers grow in order to strengthen them.
Muscle strength
A bird’s breast muscles, called the pectoralis, represent 15-25% of their total body weight. These muscles power the downstroke of the wings during flight. Chicks develop and strengthen their pectoralis through extensive pre-fledging wing exercises. This helps prepare the muscles for the exertion of flying.
Balance and coordination
Flying requires precise coordination between vision, muscles, wings, and the balancing organs in the inner ear. Fledglings initially have poor balance and control in the air. However, their coordination and stability improve quickly with practice. Parents can often be seen catching unsteady juveniles during early flight attempts.
Spatial awareness
Crucial visual abilities like depth perception, motion sensitivity, and distance judgment develop as chicks mature. These spatial skills allow young birds to take off, navigate through the air, avoid obstacles, and land successfully. Spatial awareness continues improving as juveniles gain flight experience.
Instinct
Even though flying is learned, birds have an innate drive and motivation to take flight, especially in response to parental cues. This instinct compels developing birds to attempt ever-higher jumps and flaps as they build confidence. Over time, their hops and flaps turn into full-fledged flights.
How do parent birds help fledglings learn to fly?
Parent birds play a critical role in teaching their young how to fly through the following behaviors:
Wing exercises
Well before fledging, parent birds encourage wing flapping and stretching in chicks. This helps strengthen musculature and promotes motor development. Parents may even grip chicks by the wings to support flapping practice.
Feeding
Parents coax chicks out of the nest by flying short distances away with food. This motivates fledglings to take their first flights between perches and the nest. As chicks improve, parents move farther away, forcing longer flights.
Demonstrating
Young birds observe parents closely as they fly in and out of the nest. These demonstrations help imprint key flight skills like take off, landing, and steering. Fledglings then mimic what they’ve seen the adults doing.
Call signals
Parental calls, often from a distant perch, trigger chicks to spread their wings and fly. Particular ‘ Feed Me!’ calls motivate young birds to follow and fly to the parent. Fledgling birds even vocalize themselves while in flight.
Supporting
Early on, parents may transport chicks from perch to perch. As skills improve, adults simply follow alongside, ready to catch unsteady juveniles. This support gives young birds the confidence to progress.
Protection
Parents defend young fledglings from predators during the vulnerable learning period. Adults may also retrieve chicks that have seriously misjudged a landing and ended up on the ground.
What are the stages of flight development?
Fledgling birds go through several distinct behavioral stages as they master flight:
Wing flapping
Chicks flap and stretch their wings frequently in the weeks before fledging. This builds critical musculature for flight. Parents encourage wing exercises.
Aircrafting
Days before flying, chicks may angle into the wind and beat their wings while remaining stationary. By generating extra lift, birds can briefly ‘aircraft’, or hover above the nest.
Branch hopping
Just prior to fledging, chicks begin hopping to progressively higher perches and branches around the nest. These short flights help stretch muscles.
Fluttering
The first true flights are an unsteady mix of wing flapping, fluttering, and brief gliding. Most fledglings can only flutter a short distance before crash landing.
Flying
Within days, flight skills improve dramatically. Juveniles fly from nest to perch and back with better control. Takeoffs and landings remain clumsy. Parents still follow and assist.
Skill mastery
After 2-3 weeks of extensive flying practice, juveniles can fly long distances easily with excellent agility and precision. Their flight skills are now comparable to adults.
How do fledglings practice flying?
Once out of the nest, young birds have a strong drive to perfect their flying abilities. Practice helps them master the complex movements and coordinates required for skilled flight. Fledglings spend several weeks honing key skills:
Taking off
Launching from a stationary position requires substantial effort and balance. Fledglings repeatedly hop and flap to get airborne until takeoffs become smooth and seamless.
Level flight
Proper wing flapping, gliding, and steering keeps birds aloft and on course. Juveniles develop stability and stamina from continuous flights around their home ranges.
Landing
Coming to controlled stops on branches takes deft foot-eye coordination. Young birds initially crash land but soon learn to gracefully touch down on target perches.
Evasion
Sharp turns, dives, and aerial maneuvers help birds evade predators or pursue prey. Fledglings playfully chase and dive together to hone their agility.
Distance
Longer routine flights build muscle tone and endurance. With practice, juveniles smoothly fly greater and greater distances during foraging.
Navigation
Recognizing landmarks helps young birds orient themselves in space. This allows them to find their way over increasingly greater areas.
What are some key milestones in learning to fly?
Major developmental milestones help illustrate the flight learning process:
Age | Milestone |
---|---|
Hatching | Down feathers present, eyes open, parents provide food |
5-7 days | Primary wing feathers begin emerging from quills |
10-14 days | Flight feathers fully developed but still short |
12-16 days | Wing flapping and stretching intensifies |
15-20 days | Aircrafting starts 1-2 days before fledging |
18-22 days | Fledging – first flights from nest to nearby branches |
3 weeks | Sustained flights of up to 1 km from nest |
5-6 weeks | Juveniles fly and forage independently from parents |
Of course, the exact timeline varies for each species. But this gives a general overview of the learning process most fledgling songbirds follow.
What risks do young birds face when learning to fly?
Despite innate flying instincts, the learning period after leaving the nest is the most hazardous time in a bird’s life. Juvenile birds contend with the following threats as they learn to fly:
Predation
Unsteady flight makes fledglings easy targets for predators like hawks, cats, and snakes. Nearly half of juveniles fall victim to predators within the first few weeks out of the nest.
Collision
Poor maneuvering and landing skills lead to crashes with trees, buildings, windows, and cars. Collisions are a major cause of injury and death for recently fledged birds.
Exhaustion
Early long flights prior to building stamina can overtax muscles and cause exhaustion. Grounded and helpless, tired juveniles are vulnerable to danger.
Disorientation
Getting lost and separated from parents is common early on. Disoriented fledglings may wander into unintended and risky areas.
Environmental factors
Rain, wind, heat, and storms make flying more challenging for beginners. Bad weather compounds the other risks for vulnerable juveniles.
Fortunately, attentive parents try to mitigate these threats until their young master flight. After some practice, juveniles develop the skills to escape predators, avoid obstacles, navigate effectively, and handle weather disturbances.
How long does it take for birds to become expert fliers?
Most fledglings require 2-3 weeks of intensive flying before their abilities match those of adult birds. Specific timeframes depend on the species:
- Small songbirds like sparrows and finches – 14-20 days of practice
- Medium songbirds like crows and jays – 21-30 days of practice
- Large songbirds like magpies and ravens – 30-35 days of practice
- Seabirds like gulls and terns – 35-42 days of practice
- Birds of prey like hawks and eagles – 42-56 days of practice
During this period, young birds fly extensively to forage, explore, play, and accompany parents on trips away from the nest. This translates into hundreds of takeoffs, flights, and landings daily. Gradually, their wingbeats become steady, their navigation precise, and their maneuvering deft. Within a few weeks, fledglings achieve the same graceful ease in flight that adult birds display.
Conclusion
Though often underestimated, learning to fly is a challenging and risky endeavor for juvenile birds. To transform from helpless chicks into expert fliers, young birds must develop specialized physiology like flight feathers and flight muscles. Parents demonstrate and encourage, while chicks gain experience through extensive practice. After surviving the initial vulnerable fledgling period, juvenile birds devote several weeks to mastering complex skills like take off, controlled flight, sharp turns, accurate landing, and evasion. With dedication and perseverance, fledglings can overcome obstacles and soar with the same freedom and artistry as adults. The extraordinary learning journey reflects both innate ability and hard work by juveniles and parents alike.