Multiple species in a nest

[kcfd55]

I'm not sure where to post this, so I apologize if this is in the wrong spot.

My Timbrado canaries have a nest with three chicks. Yesterday, I noticed that a newly-fledged gold-breast finch in the nest with the babies. In addition, the canary hen fed it.

Is this a common thing? I have never heard about this before.

Thanks,

Mike

[isobea]

kcfd55 - Hi Mike, did you notice the gold breast egg in the canary nest before it hatched? It must have been tiny. And the canary babies must seem like giants compared to that little guy. I would worry that the canary babies will quickly outgrow the gold breast. It could kind of disappear under the canaries (and then not get fed anymore or not enough). Do you have any idea where the gold breasts' nest is? Are there any more tiny eggs in the canaries' nest?
So many unknown factors. But to answer your question: I've never had anything like this happen.
Iso

[Flight Feathers]

I'm not sure where to post this, so I apologize if this is in the wrong spot.

My Timbrado canaries have a nest with three chicks. Yesterday, I noticed that a newly-fledged gold-breast finch in the nest with the babies. In addition, the canary hen fed it.

Is this a common thing? I have never heard about this before.

Thanks,

Mike

So from what you said... the gold breast finch has fledged and then jumped in the canary nest itself? How strange!

[Sheather]

Yes, I have had zebra chicks as they learn to fly, get tired and jump in the nearest nest - a canary's, with her infertile eggs. The canary sat over them and fed them when they begged. The zebras left a few hours later, when their parents came looking.

[isobea]

kcfd55 - Oh boy Mike, ignore my post. I didn't take my time to read yours thoroughly and got 'fledged' mixed up with 'hatched'.
Iso

[kcfd55]

Flight:

the gold breast finch has fledged and then jumped in the canary nest itself?

Yes. The gold breast fledged about 10-11 days ago, while the canary chicks hatched about 7 days ago. I look at them daily as their nest is by a window in the hallway. I noticed that there were 4 heads sticking up instead of three (3 of the 5 eggs hatched). The canaries are already twice the size of the gold breast. The canary nest is about 7-8 feet above the ground. I have no idea how the gold breast found it. It is not yet a great flier.

It is a strange sight.

Mike

[kcfd55]

Sheather:

Yes, I have had zebra chicks as they learn to fly, get tired and jump in the nearest nest - a canary's, with her infertile eggs. The canary sat over them and fed them when they begged. The zebras left a few hours later, when their parents came looking.

The odd thing is that the fledged gold breasts spent the past week or more just living on the ground, and would fly up no more than afoot high. Then I found the invader in the canary nest.

Mike

[kcfd55]

Iso:

Oh boy Mike, ignore my post. I didn't take my time to read yours thoroughly and got 'fledged' mixed up with 'hatched'.

Don't worry about it...I will just write this down somewhere so that when I mess up, I can just point to your post

Mike

[isobea]

kcfd55 - It is interesting Mike, that your gold breast fledgling couldn't fly well in the beginning (I wonder if that is typical for GBs). Several years ago I had three gold breast fledglings that were tiny and could hardly fly. I tried putting them back in their nest but every time they jumped back out again. The nights were still quite chilly so I made a makeshift nest out of soft grasses and feathers for them, put it on the floor of my aviary and covered it with a small cardboard box (with a cut-out on one side). For almost a week they spent the nights inside of that. All of them survived.
Iso

[kcfd55]

Iso:

Perhaps it is typical of gold breasts since mine did the same thing as yours. There were 4 fledglings, which huddled together on the ground most of the day at first. Then they began exploring more and more until they started flying much like the adults.

I have no idea where their nest was, as there are several, including a couple inside the tree. I couldn't tell if the babies were gold breasts or strawberries as both species are nesting (with several nests each), but then I saw an adult gold breast cuddled up against the babies. I never saw them feed the babies once they left the nest.

Mike