Whether baby birds can walk or not depends on the species. Here is a quick overview of whether newly hatched chicks can walk for some common types of birds:
Songbirds
Most songbird chicks are altricial, which means they hatch with their eyes closed, have no feathers, and are essentially helpless. They spend the first weeks of their life in the nest being fed by their parents. Examples of songbirds include robins, cardinals, finches, and sparrows. Songbird chicks cannot walk at all when they first hatch from the egg. Their leg muscles are underdeveloped and their eyes are still closed. They can only wiggle around in the nest. It takes 10-14 days before their eyes open, they grow some feathers, and they gain enough leg strength to stand, hop around the nest, and start walking. So for the first 1-2 weeks after hatching, songbird chicks cannot walk.
Chickens
Chickens are precocial birds, meaning they hatch covered in down feathers with their eyes open and are able to walk right away. Newly hatched chicks can stand up on their feet within hours of hatching. While a bit unsteady at first, they are fully capable of walking by the first day after hatching. Chicken chicks follow their mother hen around on foot right after hatching. So chickens can walk immediately after being born.
Ducks
Like chickens, ducks are precocial birds. Ducklings hatch already covered in downy feathers and with their eyes open. They are able to walk as soon as they emerge from the egg. Ducklings can stand and walk steadily within their first day of life. They need this ability so they can follow their mother to water to feed and swim. So duck chicks are able to walk from the moment they are born.
Penguins
Penguin chicks are also precocial. They hatch with fuzzy down feathers and open eyes. This allows them to walk right away in order to follow their parents to the sea. Emperor penguin chicks hatch during the harsh Antarctic winter and must walk many miles across the ice to reach the ocean. Their ability to walk soon after birth is critical to their survival. So penguin chicks can walk immediately after hatching.
Owls
Owl hatchlings are altricial like songbirds. They hatch helpless with closed eyes and no feathers. Unlike songbirds though, owl chicks develop much more rapidly. Their eyes open within about a week and they start growing feathers soon after hatching. Owls hatch with strong legs though, and they start walking around the nest at 2-3 weeks old. So owl chicks cannot walk immediately at hatching but develop the ability to walk within their first few weeks of life.
Eagles
Eagles hatch after around 35 days of incubation. The eaglets hatch with their eyes open but have no feathers besides some downy fluff. While they can stand right away and shuffle around the nest a little, their leg muscles are not fully developed at hatching. After about 10-14 days, the eaglets grow more feathers and start walking around the nest. So eagles cannot walk immediately after hatching, but gain the ability to walk within 2 weeks.
Conclusion
In summary, whether baby birds can walk right after hatching depends on the species:
- Songbirds cannot walk at all when they first hatch. They take 1-2 weeks to gain the strength and coordination to walk.
- Chickens, ducks, and penguins are precocial and can walk immediately after hatching.
- Owls cannot walk right away but start walking around 2-3 weeks after hatching.
- Eagles can shuffle around a little but take 10-14 days to fully walk.
The ability or inability to walk at birth is an adaptation that allows each species to survive in their particular environments. Songbirds are fed by their parents in the nest so walking is not necessary. But precocial chicks like chickens and ducks need to walk to feed themselves and follow their mothers.
When Do Baby Birds Leave the Nest?
Just as the ability to walk varies among species, so does the age at which baby birds are ready to leave the nest. Here are some averages:
- Robins: Leave the nest at 13-16 days old
- Cardinals: Leave around 9-11 days old
- Finches: Leave the nest at 21-26 days old
- Sparrows: Fledge around 10-17 days old
- Chickens: 4-6 weeks before leaving the coop
- Ducks: 50-60 days before fledging
- Penguins: 2-3 months before leaving parents
- Owls: 4-7 weeks before fledging
- Eagles: 10-12 weeks before first flight
Songbirds fledge quite young at 2-3 weeks old. Chickens, ducks, and eagles that feed and protect their young take much longer to fledge at 4-12 weeks old. Owls and penguins fall somewhere in between. The timing depends on factors like size of the species and whether the parents provide extended care.
Why Can’t Baby Birds Walk?
As mentioned above, some baby birds like songbirds and owls cannot walk at all when they first hatch. There are several reasons for this:
- Underdeveloped leg muscles – their leg muscles are not strong enough to support walking
- Poor coordination – their nervous system is still developing so they lack coordination
- Closed eyes – with eyes sealed shut, they cannot see to walk
- Lack of feathers – no feathers to provide insulation if they wandered from the nest
- Parental care – altricial chicks don’t need to walk to feed, parents bring food to nest
- Vulnerability – walking makes them more visible to predators outside the nest
Together these limitations help keep helpless altricial babies safely confined to the nest where the parents can care for them. As they grow feathers and open their eyes, they gain the needed strength, warmth, vision, and coordination to start walking.
Why Can Some Baby Birds Walk?
Other baby birds like chickens, ducks, and penguins are able to walk as soon as they hatch. Some reasons precocial birds can walk right away include:
- Open eyes – hatched with eyes open so they can see where they are going
- Feathered – down feathers provide warmth when not in the nest
- Muscle development – leg muscles fully developed to support walking
- Motor skills – proper balance and coordination for movement
- Feeding – need to walk to forage for food and water
- Mobility – follow parents to feeding areas away from nest
- Evasion – ability to walk helps avoid predators
Since precocial chicks cannot be fed by parents in a nest, walking right after hatching allows them to feed themselves and survive independently.
When Can Baby Birds Flap Their Wings?
Young birds will start flapping and exercising their wings weeks or months before they are able to take flight. Here is when different baby birds start flapping:
- Robins: Around 11-13 days old
- Cardinals: Approximately 8-10 days old
- Finches: 14 days old
- Sparrows: Around 7-10 days old
- Chickens: 3-4 weeks old
- Ducks: 6-7 weeks old
- Owls: Around 4 weeks old
- Eagles: 8-10 weeks old
The purpose of early flapping behavior is to build up the chest and wing muscles needed for flight. It also allows the birds to develop balance and coordination for when they start flying. Even baby birds that can walk early on rely on their parents for food for some time before they are ready to fly and hunt on their own.
What Do Baby Birds Eat?
Baby birds have different dietary needs depending on their species. Here are some common foods fed to baby birds by their parents:
- Songbirds: Caterpillars, insects, worms, berry pulp
- Chickens: Seeds, insects, grit
- Ducks: Aquatic insects, fish, vegetation
- Penguins: Fish, krill, squid
- Owls: Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates
- Eagles: Fish, waterfowl, small mammals
Insect-eating songbirds are fed bites of caterpillars and worms by their parents. Seed-eating finches are fed berry mash. Birds of prey like owls and eagles are given pieces of raw meat. The high protein and nutrient content of these foods fuels rapid growth and development in hatchlings.
How Do Baby Birds Drink Water?
Baby birds get hydration through the food brought by their parents early on. The high moisture content in caterpillars, worms, fish, and other prey provides enough water. As they grow, parents will bring water back to the nest in a few ways:
- Regurgitation – parents regurgitate water directly into the chick’s mouth
- Wet prey – parents bring back wet food like moist bugs or fish
- Plant parts – juicy fruits or vegetation contain water
- Dew drops – parents collect dew from leaves and share with chicks
Eventually chicks will be able to leave the nest and drink water from puddles and other sources themselves. But at first water is obtained from the partially digested food brought by caring parents.
Interesting Facts About Baby Birds
- Newly hatched flamingo chicks are gray or white, not pink. They get their color from their diet of carotenoid-rich shrimp.
- Baby swifts cling to vertical walls inside chimneys and do not land until they are ready to fly.
- Some songbird babies poop in a membrane sac called a fecal sac that their parents remove.
- Young turkeys can fly short distances at just 2-3 weeks old.
- A baby pigeon is called a squab. Squabs can eat their own weight in seeds each day.
- Male emperor penguins keep eggs warm by balancing them on their feet under a warmth pouch.
- Newly hatched loons can swim and dive almost immediately after hatching.
- Willow ptarmigan chicks have feathered feet to walk on snow right after birth.
- Albatross chicks defend themselves by vomiting a foul-smelling gastric oil at intruders.
From their varied parenting strategies to their odd defenses and adaptations, baby birds have many fascinating traits that help them grow and thrive.