Day One: Celebrating Our New Bluebird Babies

This morning I woke up to the first new birth in our bluebird box. It is happening mere yards from our front door, where a sweet miracle is unfolding. We are truly privileged to witness this wonder firsthand via two video cameras—one inside the nest box and one at the front entrance—and we invite you to join us in observing this journey daily by linking to our live stream at the AzarÉl Greetings YouTube channel.

Witnessing brand-new lives, mere hours old, already instinctively lifting its head on a wobbly neck to beg for its very first meal is the exact moment the miracle of nature feels most profound.

Seeing this new life arrive has sparked so many questions in my own mind. Perhaps you are wondering some of the same things. To help us all learn more about this remarkable process, I have put together a list of 10 frequently asked questions about our newest arrivals.

1. How long does it take for bluebird eggs to hatch?
   It typically takes 12 to 14 days. In the case of this nest, it took 12 days. Mama bluebird laid the fourth egg on Friday, July 17. Our first hatchling broke through on Wednesday, July 29.
   
   
2. What is the typical timeline for each egg to hatch?
   Although eggs are laid daily, they typically hatch within hours of one another. The ‘hatchling’s clock’ begins the day the last egg is laid and Mama starts full-time brooding. Our first baby arrived between daybreak and 7:30 am, and while a full clutch can take 24 to 48 hours to hatch, we’re excited to see more progress today!
   
   
3. What do the baby bluebirds look like when they first hatch?
   As you can see, they are entirely helpless, blind, and naked at birth, embodying the same total dependence on their caregiver that any human baby does. Much like a human newborn’s reddish, brand-new skin, these hatchlings have bright coral-pink skin and look quite fragile. And just like human infants, they have notoriously weak neck muscles. Almost immediately, however, they begin the universal “newborn bob”—lifting their heads for a few seconds on wobbly necks and opening their beaks in a powerful, instinctive reflex to be fed.
   
   
4. Where are the feathers on a baby bluebird?
   A baby bluebird’s skin is incredibly thin and translucent. The dark spots are the developing feather follicles just beneath the skin. These dark areas contain pigment for future feathers. These follicles emerge in specific ‘tracts’ on the head and back.
   
   
5. Why do the hatchlings look so curled up on Day One?
   The developing chick is tightly packed inside the egg in a fetal curl. Hatchlings emerge wet, exhausted, and naturally retain that “shrimp-like” shape. As they dry, they gradually stretch out. They momentarily uncurl and lift their heads when their feeding reflexes kick in.
   
   It takes a long time for a little one to break out of its shell. Sit back, relax, and watch below.
   

6. When do their eyes open?
   Newborn bluebirds are born with their eyes tightly sealed shut. They begin to open as narrow, dark slits around day 10 to 12. Initially, their vision is limited to sensing light and immediate movement; it will sharpen significantly as they prepare to fledge.
   
   
7. How do newborn baby bluebirds stay warm?
   They are brooded by their mother, who functions as their living baby blanket. She transfers heat directly from her own body to theirs. This is much like the sweetness of holding your own newborn wrapped against your heart. You feel their fragile warmth pressed against your body. For mama bluebird, this happens night and day. The mother must balance her own needs with the vital duty of providing essential heat. She does this until they grow their first layers of insulating feathers, usually around 7 to 9 days later. It is a remarkable, tireless display of maternal dedication.
   
   
8. How do the parents feed their new babies?
   Feeding is a remarkable display of parental teamwork. Both parents work in a constant relay to provide the high-protein diet of insects necessary to fuel rapid growth. They carefully process each catch, breaking it into smaller, softer portions before placing them directly into the hatchlings’ open beaks. Because these babies have such high metabolic rates, this requires frequent, all-day feedings!
   
   
9. Where are the broken eggshells?
   Removing eggshells is a critical sanitary practice that protects the hatchlings. Parents carry shells far from the nest, a behavior that helps disguise the location of their vulnerable brood from predators. This rapid ‘housekeeping’ happens immediately after the shells break, ensuring a hygienic environment for the babies to begin their rapid growth.
   
   
10. How do the parents handle the baby bluebird poop?
    Speaking of the realities of nest life…In simple terms, the baby bluebird goes “butt up” and blows a “poop bubble.” This is nature’s version of a self-contained, disposable diaper — biodegradable-y disposable because the parents often eat these sacs! Aren’t you glad your baby didn’t ‘gift’ you with snacks that you were expected to consume?! But why would they do this? Eating the sacs allows the adults to reclaim undigested nutrients and hides the scent from predators. Later, as the babies grow, the parents will carry the “poop” away from the nest in their beaks. Bluebird parent duties definitely include some things that make you go, “Eeeeeew!”

As you watch these tiny lives unfold, it is impossible not to be moved by the incredible delicacy and miracle of the birth of baby bluebirds. It is a period of lightning-fast development. In a mere two to three weeks after hatching, these babies will be ready to take flight. During this time, the once-fragile nestlings undergo a breathtaking metamorphosis. They will soon emerge from the shadows of the nest box as fully-feathered, confident aviators, ready to take their first leap into the vast world beyond. We invite you to follow their progress on the AzarÉl Greetings YouTube livestream.