This is Bird Note.

Motherhood.

In the avian world, it's a mixed bag.

Peregrine Falcon mothers share duties fairly equally with Peregrine dads.

Both incubate the eggs, although mom usually spends more time at the task.

For the first three weeks after the

eggs hatch, she alone broods the young, and the male hunts to feed the entire family. When the

young fledge, both parents feed them, and at the same time teach the young birds to hunt for

themselves. At the other end of the spectrum is the female hummingbird.

She usually carries the entire burden of nesting, incubating, and tending the young, a true

single mom. The male stays around, but only to protect his territory. He's mostly a pest.

And then, there's the female Western Sandpiper.

She finishes a nest the male has started, and they share incubation duties.

But Mother Sandpiper usually leaves the family just a few days after the

eggs have hatched. The male tends the young until they're able to fly. It makes sense. The female

needs to replenish herself. The eggs she laid almost equaled her body weight. For Birdnote,

I'm Mary McCann.