Chick behaviour

Little observation of the chicks was possible, especially when the female was still at nest. However, it was easy to differentiate the bills of the chicks from that of the female. By mid-April the chick bills appeared large, although clearly not yet as large as the mother’s and without any visible casques. The upper mandible of the female bill was very clearly distally black while those of the chicks were plain pale yellow. On one occasion the two chicks’ bills were seen together, apparently jousting with each other.

Once the female and first chick left the nest, more could be seen of the activities of the remaining chick. It defecated frequently out of the nest just as the mother had done, and it attempted (however ineffectually) to remove debris from inside the nest. Whether these are natural instincts or learned from watching the mother is impossible to say. On one occasion it was observed to be “panting”.

More and more of the single chick’s bill could be seen over time, and by late April it appeared to be observing the world outside its nest. By this time, the whole bill was seen up to and including the eye, and the casque had clearly begun to separate from the rest of the bill.