Our garden has been the nursery for a baby currawong each year. I've enjoyed watching these noisy babies grow up, but am curious to know how long they stay as "babies". We have a very big baby who calls to his poor harassed parent for food, even though he's nearly bigger than them. Is this a long process, or do we have another currawong family coming into our yard and this is a new (but big) baby? I really enjoy watching all the birdlife in our garden and would appreciate any answers, thanks!
Hi there :) looking into how long the parent Currawongs feed their young for, I was surprised to find that not a whole lot if known about their breeding patterns. From what I could find on the internet and from my own observations Their breeding season is from July to January, and they lay 3 eggs. Some people say that they incubate for around 20 days but it's not a firm fact as far as I know. Once the chicks have hatched they spend 30 days in the nest until they fledge, and then once they are out the parents continue to feed them, this is what you're seeing. No-where I looked could tell me how long the parents feed them for! So i'm not necessarily answering your question :P I believe that the parent will feed the young until the juvenile is able to feed itself and proves that it can keep itself alive. Though sometimes it does seem to last a long time!
You mentioned that the chick you were observing is fairly large. Sometimes Channel-billed Cuckoos will lay their eggs in the Currawongs nests and the currawongs will end up raiseing a channel billed cuckoo rather than their own chicks...
I'm afraid that wasn't the best answer for you as I didn't find anything definite, but I hope it helps :)
Hi Elsie, Thanks so much for your detailed answer. I appreciate your time. The baby is definitely a currawong, but I think it's a bit of a sook, and keeps his skills hidden so that his parents do all the hard work! It's certainly entertaining to watch (and listen to) them. Thanks again! :) (Here's a foggy photo)
According to Michael Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds both parents feed the young for several months after fledging.
Thanks very much!
I have had a similar thing with a magpie recently. One of the babies just doesn't seem to be growing up. Although it is capable of feeding itself, it is constantly crying for its parents to feed it. I don't think I have ever seen a young magpie do this for as long before. It has been a couple of months.
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
My Mum has been feeding generations of magpies, and we've noticed that some of the babies do seem to take longer to mature than others. With this year's twin girls, one is quite independant and will forage on her own, but the other is timid and relies on her busy parents to feed her the meat mix that my Mum feeds them. They started flying four or so months ago. It's interesting to watch as they all have individual personalities. Maybe the one you've noticed is on the shy side :). Thanks for your message!