A rare trio of bald eagles - two dads, one mom - are raising eaglets together in one nest

[Judi Lynn]

14 Apr, 2019 2:21pm 4 minutes to read

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From left to right, Starr, Valor II and Valor I sit over eggs at their Illinois nest. Photo / Stewards of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge via National Audubon Society
Washington Post
By: Angela Fritz

Proof that families come in all shapes, sizes and species, three eagles - two dads and a mom - are raising three, fluffy-feathered eaglets in a nest near the Mississippi River this spring.

According to the Stewards of the Upper Mississippi River Refuge, all three of the birds, Valor I, Valor II (dads) and Starr (mom) "take part in nest maintenance, incubation and raising the young."

The refuge hosts a live webcam of the Illinois family, which is a rare example of an eagle trio cooperatively nesting, raising their young together. While not unheard of, such trios have only been documented a few times according to the National Audubon Society, in Alaska in 1977, in Minnesota in 1983 and in California in 1992.

What might make this all-American family different is that both males are copulating with the mom, whereas earlier examples of a second dad may have only been a live-in nanny situation, with no role in the reproduction itself, Audubon reports.

More:
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12222263

[Harker]

1. Different strokes

for different yolks.

[dewsgirl]

2. I wasn't expecting the copulation aspect of the story, fascinating..and very sweet.

[RockRaven]

3. Cue right wing evangelical fundie Repukes hating bald eagles in 3... 2... 1...

[Laffy Kat]

4. That is so cool. There's probably an evolutionary advantage here.

Three adults finding food for the babies equals a greater chance of thriving eaglets.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

5. Now on A&E... Brother Husbands, the True story

Hatch'm if you can.

Velociraptors of all type are my fav!