Father's Day will be a long one Sunday. That's because Sunday also is the first day of summer, the longest day of the year.
Summer arrives at 1:46 a.m. Sunday. Known as the summer solstice, it's when the sun reaches its furthest point north in the sky. After Sunday, the days get shorter until we reach the shortest day of the year on Dec. 21, the first day of winter.
On this Father's Day eve, it might be a good time to look at the roles of fathers in the wild. Among most mammal species (other than humans), parental care is almost exclusively the job of mothers. Newborn animals are nourished by their mother's milk. Males, of course, don't lactate.
Among most birds, however, fathers play vital roles in helping rear, feed and protect their young — instead of merely fertilizing the females and being on their way. It is estimated that in more than 90 percent of bird species, moms and dads together provide extensive care of their babies, the males being just as adept at parental care as females.
There are many variations, however, in the type of care provided by feathered fathers — and by bird mothers, too, for that matter. Examples for some Georgia birds include:
Northern cardinals. Both parents bring food to their nestlings, but the male often contributes much more than the female. A pair of cardinals in Georgia often raise two to three broods in a single season. The male will feed and care for the offspring of the first hatching while the female builds a new nest to raise the second brood.
American goldfinches. The male feeds the female in the nest, and both parents continue to feed their young for three more weeks after the babies fledge. Some female goldfinches, however, leave their first broods in the care of their mates and then skedaddle off to find other males for a second nesting attempt.
Orchard oriole. Both adults incubate and feed the young. After the young leave the nest, however, the parents split the brood and each adult takes care of half of their offspring. The young stay with the adults until the fall migration.
Eastern bluebird. Fledglings mingle with parents in family groups for up to three weeks after fledging.
A notorious exception to most male birds being good fathers is the ruby-throated hummingbird. Females provide all care for young hummingbirds. Once the male hummingbird mates with a female, he abandons all interest in what may become of the offspring.
In the sky: The moon will be new Monday and thus can't be seen for a couple of days. But look for a thin crescent moon low in the west just after sunset on Wednesday, says David Dundee, an astronomer with the Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum. Mercury and Mars are low in the east just before sunrise. Venus, shining brightly, is low in the east two hours before sunrise. Jupiter rises out of the east before midnight. Saturn is high overhead at sunset and sets around midnight.
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