(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that the lone remaining egg has hatched at the nest watched over by the agency’s EagleCam.
The chick has briefly been visible but is still being tended to closely by both parents, nestled underneath the adults while it continues to grow. The DNR says newborn eaglets develop faster at this stage than almost any animal.
The baby first broke through the shell of its egg on Sunday afternoon. A second one was broken on February 28th when it got stuck on the male’s brood patch as he tried to stand up and let the female take watch. A brood patch is a bare spot without feathers that touches the eggs directly. The skin contact allows for the eggs to be warmed to the ideal temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
The chick was fed for the first time this morning. The DNR says bald eagle babies are often called bobbleheads. For the first several days of life, chicks have weak neck muscles that strain to hold their head up.
___
Copyright 2023 Leighton Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be broadcast, published, redistributed, or rewritten, in any way without consent.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!