Quick Answer
House finch chicks typically stay in the nest for 12-18 days after hatching before fledging and leaving the nest. The exact length of time can vary based on factors like food availability, weather conditions, nest location and predation risk.
How Long Do House Finch Eggs Take to Hatch?
House finches lay clutches of 3-6 eggs which take 11-14 days to hatch. The eggs hatch over a period of several days, not all at once. Once the first egg hatches, both parents share brooding and feeding duties for the hatchlings.
The incubation period from the laying of the first egg to the hatching of the last egg is typically 13-14 days. Here is a summary:
House Finch Nesting Stage | Duration |
---|---|
Egg laying | 3-6 days |
Incubation | 11-14 days |
Hatching | Over 2-3 days |
The female does most of the incubation during the day, while the male incubates in her absence. He also feeds her throughout this period. Once the eggs begin to hatch, both parents share brooding duties.
How Long Do Chicks Stay in the Nest?
House finch chicks are altricial, meaning they hatch weak and blind, requiring extensive parental care. They have sparse downy feathers at hatching and cannot regulate their own body temperature.
For the first week after hatching, the chicks are brooded almost constantly by the parents and cannot survive long out of the nest. The chicks grow and develop quickly, opening their eyes at around 3-5 days old.
By two weeks of age, their feathers begin to grow in. At 12-14 days old, the chicks are mostly feathered and start perching on the edge of the nest.
They will fledge and leave the nest anytime between 12-18 days after hatching. Earlier departure often occurs when food is scarce or predators are a threat. Here is an overview:
Chick Developmental Stage | Age |
---|---|
Hatching to eyes opening | 1-5 days |
Eyes open, quills emerge | 5-7 days |
Feather growth | 7-14 days |
Fledging | 12-18 days |
How Do Parents Care for Chicks in the Nest?
House finch parents provide extensive care for their altricial young while in the nest:
Warmth
Both parents take turns brooding the hatchlings constantly for the first week, providing warmth. The female broods them at night. As the chicks grow feathers, they require less constant heat.
Food
Parents gather food and feed the chicks frequently, up to every 2-3 minutes at peak demand. Nestlings are fed insects, spiders and seed mixes, getting a higher protein diet than adults.
Sanitation
Parents swallow chick waste to keep the nest clean. They also carry away fecal sacs and dropped food away from the nest to avoid attracting predators.
Protection
While one parent is away gathering food, the other remains vigilant, watching for potential threats. Parents may perform distraction displays, injury feigning or dive bombing to deter predators.
What Causes Nestling Mortality?
Even with extensive parental care, house finches suffer high nestling mortality from:
– Starvation – Parents cannot adequately provision nestlings, often due to cold/rainy weather limiting food supply.
– Predation – Most nests suffer at least some loss to predators like snakes, cats, squirrels, jays and others. Predators may consume eggs, chicks or even incubating adults.
– Weather – Extended cold, rain, excessive heat or storms can kill developing embryos or nestlings. Young chicks are vulnerable to hypothermia.
– Nest Parasites – Blowfly larvae and mites sometimes infest nests, feeding on and weakening nestlings.
– Premature Fledging – Disturbance may cause premature fledging, leaving chicks unable to fly or feed themselves.
– Competition – Larger, more aggressive bird species may take over nest sites or consume resources needed by finches.
High reproductive rates help compensate for the 50-70% mortality commonly observed in house finch nests.
How Do Parents Feed Nestlings?
House finch nestlings hatch with an egg tooth they use to break out of the egg. For their first week, parents feed them pre-digested insect slurry and regurgitated seeds.
As they grow, the diet shifts to more whole foods. Some key facts about nestling feeding:
– Parents feed chicks around 250 times per day at peak demand.
– Male and female share duties, though females tend to do more night feedings.
– Diet is over 90% plant material like seeds, buds, fruits and flowers. Insects make up remainder.
– Parents select soft, nutritious foods easy for chicks to digest.
– Chicks can consume up to half their body weight in food daily.
– Parents carry food in throat rather than beak to increase load size.
– Nest sanitation is vital – parents remove chick fecal sacs after feeding.
– Chicks beg and jostle vigorously for feeding position.
– Parents control food allocation among chicks.
Adequate, nutritious food enables rapid chick growth and is critical for survival past fledging.
What Do Chicks Look Like at Different Stages?
House finch chicks go through dramatic physical changes during their 2-3 weeks in the nest.
Hatching
Newly hatched chicks are altricial. They have:
– Closed eyes
– Sparse white down feathers
– An egg tooth for pipping
– Yellow gape used for begging
– No ability to regulate temperature
They weigh just 2-3 grams at hatching and are helpless, needing constant parental care.
5 days old
By day 5, changes include:
– Eyes begin opening
– Body feathers emerge under down
– Begging increases intensity
– Weight increases to 5-8 g
– Able to lift head and shuffle around nest
Parents continue nonstop brooding and feeding.
10 days old
At 10 days of age, chicks show:
– Fully open eyes
– Distinctive feathers on wings
– Egg tooth already disappeared
– Much louder, intense begging
– Increased activity in nest
– Weight around 10-13 g
Nestlings can survive short periods unattended but still cannot self-regulate temperature.
15 days old
Finally at 15 days, just before fledging, chicks have:
– Full juvenile plumage
– Weight of 16-22 g, nearly adult size
– Constantly beg and jostle for position
– Increased wing exercises
– Ability to perch on nest edge
– Resistance to cold exposure
– Impending first flight within days
What Happens After Chicks Fledge?
House finches chicks remain dependent on parents for survival even after leaving the nest at 12-18 days old. Initial flight is awkward and they still need to develop foraging skills.
Parents continue caring for fledglings by:
– Feeding – Tapering off provisioning as they learn to self-feed.
– Protection – Vigilantly defending against predators. Mobbing potential threats.
– Guidance – Leading fledglings to good foraging spots. Modeling food finding techniques.
– Roosting – Gathering fledglings back to roost together at night initially.
Within 2-3 weeks after fledging the young reach independence. Juveniles resemble females with drab brown plumage lacking male red coloration. Survival rates triple after chicks successfully fledge the nest.
Conclusion
House finch chicks are entirely dependent on their parents for survival from hatching until fledging the nest at 12-18 days old. Attentive parental care is vital as the altricial young develop vision, feathers, endothermy and flight ability. Fledglings still require parental feeding and protection for several weeks after leaving the nest. Understanding the nesting timeline provides useful insight into house finch breeding success.