A Helmeted Honeyeater’s journey
Breeding season is well under way in Healesville Sanctuary’s Threatened Species department, with the first baby Helmeted Honeyeaters (He Hos) already fledged.
Baby He Hos grow fast, and are ready to leave the nest (or fledge) only 2 weeks after hatching!
With cameras positioned carefully over each nest when eggs are due to hatch, keepers can watch whether a chick has difficulty hatching, or whether parents are feeding the chicks enough, or if any other problems arise. So we are able to bring you this series of photos following our first He Ho chick, “Little Jess,” from hatching to fledging. (Little Jess was named after our Platypus keeper, Jess Thomas, who proved while helping out on the He Ho round for a day that bird eggs would hatch for her as well as mammal eggs!)
Mum spends 2 weeks sitting on the eggs, and another 2 weeks keeping the chicks warm.
Mum helps the egg to hatch, moving bits of shell away.
Two days later… you can see the chick’s open mouth begging for food. Mum is removing the baby’s poo sac… The things mums will do for their kids eh?
10 days old – mum feeding
Time to stretch out and hop on to the side of the nest, ready to leave…
… and fly away!
In case you’re wondering, the second egg was infertile and failed to hatch so keepers removed it on Day 2.
