If either/or of a ..............

[Guest]

.....mated pair were to be killed for some reason ,,,lets suppose that they had young that were a couple of weeks old,would the surviving mate continue on and feed those babies alone or are they doomed?

dick

[DAKdude]

Yes, they will. It is harder for one adult to keep the chicks fully supplied with insects but they can do it. Last year I had an ASY/SY pair. About 2 weeks of age the male disappeared, but the SY female tried to raise the chicks. She managed to fledge 3 of the 5 chicks. I have heard of others that were even more successful.

James

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Unfortunately, the chances are better if the Male is lost. The female has a stronger instinct to raise her babies. If the Female is lost, the babies will probably NOT all survive. CUL Lou

[John Atteberry]

Hello Dick,
I had a pair of ASY martins up north in Missouri that had a nest with 7 eggs that all hatched! Then about 3-4 weeks before they fledged, the ASY female was missing and he fledged and fed all 7 babies!!!!!! John!

[Guest]

That sure was an accom[plishment on his part,,,,BRAVO

dick