Father Knows Best

Father's Day Bird Fun Facts

Stop by the store today and ask our Certified Birdfeeding Specialists which foods and feeders are best for bird dads this season. Here are some fun facts about feathered fathers!

Father-of-the-Year Award

The Father-of-the-Year Award goes to the Downy Woodpecker. Though they share daytime nest duties with their mate, only the fathers incubate and brood at night and they roost in the nest until their offspring fledge.

Proud Provider

Chickadee and nuthatch dads feed Mom while she incubates and broods the eggs. Dad also helps feed the young once they have hatched.

Dad’s Favorite Diner

Downy Woodpecker and American Goldfinch dads like to take the family out to eat. When the young brood fledges from the nest, Dad leads them to great food sources as well as teaches them how to use his favorite backyard bird feeders.

Sharp Dressed Man

Ladies love a sharp-dressed man, even in the bird world. Only the most colorful, sharp-dressed House Finch and goldfinch males are preferred by their female counterparts. Carotenoids, a pigment found in foods that create red, orange and yellow to violet colors in feathers, help a potential dad communicate his reproductive fitness via a vibrant and bright plumage. It also shows females that he can be a good family provider knowing where to find quality food and lots of it.

 

 

He’s a Rock Star

Adult male Song Sparrows love to perform. They sing about six to twenty different melodies every eight seconds and may average over 2,300 songs during an entire day. The larger their repertoire of songs, the more successful they are in attracting a mate and in holding their territories.

A Family Man

Mourning Dove dads love to raise families. They may have up to six clutches per year, usually with two eggs per clutch. This is the most of any North American bird, most likely due to the fact that the average life span for an adult Mourning Dove is 1 ½ years.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

The male Northern Cardinal 'kisses' his mate during courtship. He feeds her seeds while courting her and it appears they are kissing.