Logo
Prev
Bookmark
Rotate
Print
Next
Contents
All Pages
Related Articles
Browse Issues
Help
Search
Home
'
National Geographic : 1973 Aug
Contents
N ECKS STRETCH in a ritual of recognition as paired birds meet (top). The amenity reduces tension among a species prone to hostility and aggressiveness. Long courtships help the nervous birds become more at ease with each other (upper center). Like a sovereign nation, the male stakes out and protects a territory-usually two to three square yards-and defends the airspace above it. A defender spirals up to launch a screeching attack against an intruder (right), who flies too low over the selected domain. In May or June, the female lays two or three eggs, pale brown with camouflaging spots, usually in a shallow nest scooped from the sand. The parents then share the three-week egg-warming duties. So strong are the brooding instincts that a change in shift often necessitates a head-bumping shoving contest to dislodge a dutiful mate, as from this nest and its hatchling (left). Chicks mature to flying size within a month but demand food for several more weeks, until they learn to hunt the shallows on their own. Fluffy fledglings, some fatter than their parents (bottom), gain muscle to face the perils of their first migration south. Pairs that successfully raise young usually remate the next spring, and some nest together year after year. NationalGeographic, August 1973 238
Links
Archive
1973 Sep
1973 Jul
Navigation
Previous Page
Next Page