Eastern Kingbirds Feeding Chicks

Photographer Gregg Thompson watched Eastern Kingbirds feeding their chicks and shared photos of a “...sequence both amusing and interesting at the same time.

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The adult comes in with some food. Sometimes all of the chicks and other times just the closest beg, and the adult drops the food in their mouth.” Here, a twinberry is offered:

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“I think these well-fed chicks are sometimes just full. So the adult pulls the food back out of the chick's mouth and tries another chick. Sometimes it goes through all three, and the adult comes back to the original chick. I've seen the adult with a large dragonfly just give up and fly away to eat it itself.”

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This time, a bee is on the menu. “I think the female adult is more attentive to the chicks. She seems to watch and stare at the chicks, and she makes sure that they get it down.”

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All photos © Gregg Thompson