A Baby Bird’s Wishlist: Mild Weather, Attentive Parents, Not Being the Smallest Sibling

Andy Fell — May 11, 2026 - 10:28am

Experiences in the first days and weeks of life can have a profound impact on humans — and birds. A new study led by Sage Madden, a graduate student in evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, shows how weather conditions and family dynamics affect the growth of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) chicks.

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A Baby Bird’s Wishlist: Mild Weather, Attentive Parents, Not Being the Smallest Sibling