Breeding Yellow-Bellied Tits

Day 6
At 6 days old the chicks are feathering up well and are being fed constantly by both parents. They are now being fed almost exclusively on waxmoth larvae, everything except the occasional spider is ignored.

Day 7
On the 7th night the hen roosted outside the nest box on a perch at the top of the aviary. The hen is so tame I have to be careful when feeding or entering the aviary as she hangs on the wire looking for food, which she readily takes from my fingers.

Day 9
At 9 days old the youngest chick was found on the aviary floor dead. It was much smaller than it’s nest mates.

Day 14
At 14 days the chicks were almost ready to leave the box. The parents were spending less time feeding them but were constantly calling to them. The chicks would call to be fed when hungry but were quiet for most of the day. More flies were being fed as well as waxmoth larvae.

Day 16
On the 8th July 2 chicks fledged at 16 days old. I checked the nest box the following day and found 2 chicks dead. It seems the parents abandoned them.

Day 18
At 18 days the chicks spent most of the time sitting on the floor waiting to be fed. They are dull colored and resemble the hen. The hen was busy building a new nest in a half-open fronted nest box. She was carrying grass into the box all day rarely feeding the chicks.

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