Eastern Bluebirds--Triggering the Swallow Reflex?

This is the second post in a two-post series of images showing a male bluebird feeding his juvenile.

In the previous post you see how persistent the male is in retrieving mealworms that drop from his feeding attempt. And you also see how parent and juvenile can get tangled up in the feeding process. It's also noticeable that the juvenile is not swallowing between feedings, but holding the mealworms in his mouth, making things all the more difficult. In this image series, watch what happens when the male bluebird notices the juvenile's mouth is filled with mealworms.

Yikes! It amazed me that the juvenile did not clamp his mouth shut when the male removed the mealworm--due to no food present in the beak, maybe? But he did clamp it shut when presented with a mealworm! And when I looked at the next to last image, I wondered if this rough collision with the juvenile fuels parent feeding or if it's just something that comes with the territory. It appears to happen fairly frequently.

Clearly, hunting for food is not the only thing that makes feeding juveniles a challenge!

Links and resources:

This is the twelfth post in this series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts visit the link, bluebird family.   The most recent post will be first.  Click "older posts" at the bottom of the page to see earlier posts.  You may also enjoy Wishing Upon a Bluebird at Vickie's Sketchbook and my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:

Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.