Hi Jenny,
In his book "Birds of the Night", David Hollands writes of the Barn Owl:
"Young hatch in sparse white down with disproportionately large bill and
feet. This ugly appearance alters dramatically when dense white second down
grows and owlet takes on attractive 'powder puff' form" (p.211). For most
of the other owls the book states only that first and second downs are
white, except in the Sooty and Lesser Sooty Owls in which the first and
second downs are a sooty grey.
Your question also prompted me to have a look at my lyrebird books, as I
have seen a Superb Lyrebird chick barely a day old and covered in a thick
black down. L.H. Smith in "The Life of the Lyrebird" says of this: "When
the lyrebird chick emerges from the egg.....it is practically naked,
having only a few hair-like feathers on its head and back, accompanied
sometimes by a little black down.... By the end of the first day, the chick
is covered on the head and back with sooty black down. The underside is
bare, but is well protected against the cold by a warm bed of feathers
placed on the floor of the nest.." (p.63). This thick down is necessary
because the lyrebird breeds through the middle of winter and the single
chick may be left alone for lengthy periods in the nest while the mother
searches for food.
Cheers
Carol
At 10:21 PM +1100 14/2/04, Jenny Farrell wrote:
>In Morecombe's field guide page 381, for the owls it says "young in
>white down at first" does this mean they come out of the egg with white
>down or they come out bald as other birds and develop it quickly. I'm
>assuming they come out of the egg with the down as it is not a
>mentionable feature for other birds. Can someone please help me here
>
>Jenny
>
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