How Do Birds Learn To Fly? (Learn or Instinct + FAQs)

Birds must master the art of flight before they can live independently. In the first days and weeks of life, birds undergo a rapid transition from growing their first flight feathers to taking to the sky for the first time.

But once those feathers are in place and they’re physically able to use their wings to take to the sky, how do birds learn to fly?

If you’re interested in learning more about how birds become skilled fliers, you’re in the right place.

No bird is born with the ability to fly, but the instinct to fly is strong from birth. The pups will soon start flapping their wings. Once the flight feathers have grown, the birds fluff up with the encouragement of motherhood. Flying is not achieved overnight, but gradually mastered through observation and practice.

Young white stork flapping its wings in the nest

When birds first leave the nest, their initial attempts at flight are clumsy and often not particularly efficient. They may instinctively jump out of the nest and spread their wings instinctively, before landing on the ground below, or on a branch that prevents their fall.

When it’s time for eclosion, the mother bird may offer assistance to the chicks who are reluctant to leave the nest. Usually supported by one or two parent birds, the chicks’ basic flight efforts become more refined and graceful.

Trial and error play a key role, and the mother bird may encourage the young to attempt slightly longer flights by gradually distancing themselves, thereby challenging the young to strengthen and improve technique.

To find out how long it takes a bird to become a skilled, graceful flier, read on.

Three fledgling house sparrows learning to fly

Timeline of a bird learning to fly

incubation

At hatching, most chicks lack the feathers to support the weakest attempts at flight, and are unlikely to survive more than a few minutes outside the nest.

The first few days in the nest are about gaining strength and learning to navigate life: feeding, fighting for position and strengthening the muscles to support their head and body.

Once the fine feathers begin to emerge, some flapping action may begin, which will become louder and more active as the fuller feathers develop.

As birds begin to grow older and become more willing to fend for themselves, it’s not uncommon to see them close to the edge in preparation for their first steps toward independence.

Chicks practicing flapping their wings in the nest

fledgling

The fledgling stage of a bird’s life is often compared to the teenage years in humans. Be prepared to spread your wings a bit, but still need some reassurance that as they make mistakes and gain experience, the adults nearby need their reassurance too.

Most chicks flap awkwardly on the ground as they leave the nest, with wings and muscles not strong enough to support flight as we know it. But these early attempts are the building blocks for young birds to gain the knowledge and experience to fly gracefully.

Parent birds push boundaries and build resilience in their young, and each time they are fed, the mother moves farther and farther away from the nest. Chicks quickly learn that they must leave the nest if they want to eat, and the only way to successfully do this is to learn to fly.

Birds learn the art of flight in stages, from an initial awkward fall from the nest, to realizing that landing is not so difficult if they spread their wings to arrest the fall, to understanding that flapping their wings can help further locomotion and enable flight. Taking off and landing requires additional skills that can be perfected once a full flight is mastered.

Robin chick on the ground

close to maturity

When juvenile birds are almost fully mature, they will acquire most of their adult plumage and markings. They are perfecting many of the life skills they need to survive, gaining knowledge about avoiding predators, safe habitats, and food suitable for consumption, and turning to their parents, and in some cases, other flock populations, as a way of growing The more distant the “safety net”.

At this stage, most of their flying skills have been developed.

independent

At maturity, birds are full-fledged fliers, able to take off, land, soar, glide, dive and turn instinctively, and the days of awkward rolls and frantic flapping are long forgotten.

juvenile white-tailed eagle in flight

How long does it take for birds to learn to fly?

Young birds usually leave the nest about 2 weeks after hatching, but there are huge differences between species. The average time for all species is considered to be 19 days, but anywhere between 12 and 21 days is typical.

• american robin Is one of the fastest wings, able to fly from about 9 days.
• starling Wings sprout at 3 weeks but hop awkwardly back to the nest for another two weeks in parental care.
• cardinal Wings develop between 7 and 13 days, but stay within a branch or two of the nest as they gain strength and confidence.

For many larger birds, including several raptors, the process takes longer. Bald eagle chicks took 72 days to take to the air, while golden eagles were 73.5 days behind.

Great blue herons begin their first flight at about 74.5 days, while the oldest bird to test its flight plumage for the first time is the giant stork, which can take 96 to 110 days.

However, there is a big difference between being ready to leave the nest and being able to fly reliably and sustainably, and it takes practice. During the early days of fledging, most young birds remain on the ground, hiding in bushes, close to their parents.

During this time, they learn important survival skills from the observation and guidance of adult birds while continuing to grow. Over the next few days, their wings strengthen and they develop the muscles necessary to support longer, sustained flight.

Bald eagle chicks take up to 72 days to fly

Can birds learn to fly by themselves?

Although many flying skills are acquired through observation and reinforcement, research shows that the instinct to fly is definitely there, and the urge to fly can be inherited or acquired.

Instinct certainly comes into play when birds find ways to hone their flying skills through consistent practice, but it’s all about seeing other birds do the same and having parental support and encouragement.

Learning to fly under the guidance of a parent bird is one of the important stages of development for a baby bird as it equips it with survival skills and instincts it will depend on in its independent life.

This is one of the reasons that releasing baby birds in captivity into the wild must be done under expert supervision, as these important lessons will be missed.

recent winged herring gull

Can baby birds learn to fly from the ground?

Many birds, such as nightjars, plovers, plovers, and skylarks, rear in nests on or near the ground. Practicing from flat ground can be clumsier than descending from a taller branch or nest, but as the chest muscles strengthen, flying will eventually be mastered no matter the altitude.

Do birds learn to walk before they can fly?

Aerial birds such as swifts, swallows and martinises are not anatomically designed for walking and have always preferred to fly rather than move with their feet. However, these birds are the exception, as with other species, the feet are always used first.

During their early days in the nest, hatchlings develop stronger legs and are better able to support their weight as they practice standing up and hopping around the nest.

Once they are fully fledged and usually land on the ground or on a branch below the nest, the young birds tend to spend their first days on their feet outside the nest, learning survival and foraging skills before they can fly independently.

Close up of a juvenile barn swallow

How long will the chicks fly?

After leaving the nest for the first time, the chicks spend the next few days and weeks on the ground, where they practice their flight skills and build their muscles until they are capable of longer, more delicate flights. Wrens, for example, fled their feathers at 15 to 18 days, but cannot fly well until they are 4 to 8 weeks old.

Some birds, such as woodpeckers, swifts, and swallows, do not grow feathers until they are able to fly, and emerge from their empty nests instinctively to become powerful fliers.