I've been following nesting ospreys since before the chicks were hatched. Recently, one chick has been hunched over at the edge of the nest. On a recent visit, one of the other birds was quite aggressive. This looked to be more than some kind of sexual play, and I'm wondering if there was an attempt to eliminate the bird from the nest. From what I could find, it seems that nestlings usually kill earlier in the life cycle. Any opinions?
Thanks.
Sarah
Hi Sarah- The one report on this behaviour I could come up with showed that most instances of "sibling aggression" (as it is called) in Osprey occurs in the last weeks of the fledging period. Here's an excellent article by Doug Mock et al. It suggests that Osprey young are not overly aggressive toward each other. You will note that much more severe examples resulting in the death of a sibling occur in some species of birds.
Thanks, John. I had actually looked at this article, but missed the part about the last of the fledgling period. That would certainly apply in this case. Most of the other Osprey nests in this part of the country already have the young birds flying.
Sarah
Osprey behavior question
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