When a parent returns to the nest with fish, egret chicks immediately start grabbing for the parent’s beak. The chicks stroke the beak to stimulate the adult’s regurgitation reflex. Sometimes the parents make the chicks stretch to reach their bills as a way to strengthen them. Usually, the most aggressive chick gets rewarded with the food. Egret females usually lay a clutch of four or five eggs. But there’s only room in the nest for two chicks to grow to maturity. Hence the intense competition from birth. Shot taken with the Nikon D5 and 800mm F5.6 Nikkor.
