Bird brood patch

Caroline wrote:. Its a white and grey one. Today we'd like to share a bird term that Read more. Some birds have fleshy growths hanging or protruding from the head or the neck. When these are a Bird Term: Crop The crop is a part of an animal's anatomy connected to the digestive system.

It is used to One of the main functions of the feathers is to insulate the bird -- to prevent its body heat from being dissipated through the skin surface. Most birds have "solved" the dilemma posed by the need to both transfer and preserve heat by evolving "brood patches.

In most birds the feathers are shed automatically, but geese and ducks pluck their brood patch and use the plucked feathers to make an insulating lining for their nests. The brood patch also develops a supplemental set of vessels that bring hot blood close to the surface of the skin. When birds return to the nest to resume incubating, they go through characteristic settling movements in order to bring the brood patch into contact with the eggs.

In precocial birds, after the chicks have hatched the insulating feathers grow back. He needs to get back to work with 5 new mouths to feed! Kate, thank you for all your information! I have heard of a brooding patch but never saw one!

This is a fantastic explanation to go along with a great picture! Thanks for the informative anatomy lessons. That will be in about 8 days after hatching. Your email address will not be published. Brood patch on a female kestrel photo by Jared B. Clarke, Birding Saskatchewan blog. Hi Kate, I met you at Schenley last summer when we were watching for the chicks to fledge.

E2: I hope so. If you have ever seen a bare patch on the bellies of birds then you may have wondered what this is for? Many think it is because of fighting or bad health, but in fact, it is all to do with the next generation of birds. A brood patch is a bare patch of skin that can be found in the breeding season on the bellies of birds.

The brood patch is used to warm up the eggs by covering them. This ensures that the eggs develop at the required temperature. Are all birds born with feathers? The answer may surprise you.

The brood patch develops seasonally and can be found on the female, male, or both. This depends on which sex is responsible for the incubation.

If it is the female, they will develop, the brood patch, and if it is the male they will develop the bald patch.