How Long Does It Take for Bluebirds to Hatch?

Video Transcript

"Hi my name is Andy Wood, I'm education director for Audubon North Carolina, and I'm here to talk about how long does it take for bluebirds to hatch. Bluebirds are members of the thrush family, they are related to the robins. We have three different kinds in this country, the eastern, western and mountain. All three of them are cavity nesting birds, they build the nest in an abandon woodpecker hole, or maybe in an artificial nest box. The bluebirds typically mate around late February, early March. The female and male both build the grass and straw nest inside the cavity, and the female will lay eggs typically four to six powder blue eggs inside that nest box or cavity over a period of several days. And then she will incubate the eggs for twelve to fourteen days, while the male is off hunting for food to feed to his mate, and just get established, maintain the territory. And then after about twelve to fourteen days the eggs hatch into blind, naked little baby birds that the parents have to take care of. The young are thoroughly dependent on their parents right after they hatch. And they will stay in the nest for about seventeen to twenty-two days, and leave the nest as fledglings, and continue to help the parents with the parents next brood that year. So often times with bluebirds there will be two broods, two nest broods in a season. And that is how long it takes bluebirds to hatch."