How many youngsters?
The success of individual birds is measured by their contribution to the gene pool determined by the number of surviving offspring they produce. To determine the rate of offspring production, population biologists study fecundity — the number of eggs per nest (clutch size) and nests per year (broods). Following are two examples.
A female bobwhite leads her 12 newly hatched chicks from the nest to a secluded habitat with good cover and abundant food. Because they feed themselves, mom mostly needs to keep them together.
