WildCare Honors Wonderful Dads of All Species
Who's the best dad? All the wonderful human dads in our lives may be surprised to hear that they have some competition for the title “Best Dad” among our wild neighbors.
Sponsor one of the wonderful wildlife fathers below (a Red-shouldered Hawk, a Common Murre, a Gray Fox, an American Kestrel, or a California Quail) and send the wonderful dads in your life an eCard featuring this amazing wildlife father!
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk dads work hard to raise their fluffy-headed chicks!
The male hawk helps with nest-building and incubation of the eggs, and then, after the chicks hatch, he is almost solely responsible for bringing prey to his mate and their nestlings. He will bring food to a spot near the nest and call for the female to come get it and feed the chicks.
Once the chicks are old enough to leave the nest and begin "branching," both mom and dad hunt to keep a steady supply of prey coming to the young birds.
A baby Red-shouldered Hawk on the ground needs IMMEDIATE rescue. Red-shouldered Hawks will not feed their young on the ground, so any fallen nestling or fledgling must be returned to the nest. Call WildCare at 415-456-7283 for assistance and advice if you find a baby hawk or owl on the ground.
Common Murre
Did you know that Common Murres are some of the best dads in the animal world?
The male guards the female during egg-laying, and then both male and female murres fish constantly to bring food to their chick.
But the father murre's job really starts when the chick is about three weeks old. At that point the youngster leaps from his clifftop nest and spends the next month or so swimming with Dad, who teaches him how to fish and forage for himself.
Murres are pelagic (ocean-going) birds and should not be on beaches. Call WildCare at 415-456-7283 for assistance and advice if you find a murre (or other waterbird) stranded on the beach.
Gray Fox
Gray Foxes are some of the best dads in the animal world, spending hours bringing food back to their mate and kits in the den. Fox fathers also play with their youngsters and share hunting techniques as the kits grow up.
Gray Foxes are extremely agile and they are some of the only canids that can climb trees!
Baby foxes depend on their parents for care. Call WildCare at 415-456-7283 for assistance and advice if you find a baby fox alone or injured!
The orphaned baby foxes WildCare treats in the Wildlife Hospital will be in care until they are old enough to be released back to the wild.
American Kestrel
American Kestrels are great dads!
The female kestrel handles 80% of the brooding and stays with the young most of the time, which means that Dad does almost all the hunting for the family. This is a big job!
The father kestrel will also gently feed tiny bits of food from his own beak to his babies, and he helps teach the young raptors to properly tear and eat food once the babies are old enough.
Baby raptors depend on their parents for care. Call WildCare at 415-456-7283 for assistance and advice if you find a baby hawk, kestrel or owl on the ground.
The orphaned baby raptors WildCare treats in the Wildlife Hospital will be in care until they are old enough to be released back to the wild.
California Quail
California Quail babies are hatched precocial, meaning they can walk, run, and forage for food very soon after hatching.
Many precocial birds rely only on their mothers at this early age, but the California Quail is a great dad to his chicks!
As the covey of females and young pecks for seeds and grain below him, the father California Quail will stand sentinel, ready to alert his family group that danger approaches.
Baby quail rely on proximity to mom, dad and siblings for survival. Call WildCare at 415-456-7283 for assistance and advice if you find a baby quail alone or injured!
The orphaned baby quail WildCare treats in the Wildlife Hospital will be in care until they are old enough to be released back to the wild.
Cover photo @Claire / Adobe Stock