“2nd Egg Hatched”
The second egg hatched this morning at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. At about 8:48 am the 2nd eaglet made its first appearance, wriggling out of its egg while its sibling was being fed. The mother then quickly settled in to brood the young nestlings.
The young eaglets are covered with a light white natal down, this will be replaced by a heavier wooley gray down in about 14 days. Not until this time are the young birds able to thermoregulate (maintain their own body temperature). Until this time they will still be dependent on the adults to brood them.
Although these eggs were laid three days apart - they hatched within 1 day of each other. This is typical and occurs because full incubation is often delayed until the clutch is complete. In this way the eggs hatch closer together, minimizing some of the disadvantages a younger sibling might have.