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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 4, 2004 Since You Asked Those eggs are a clutch The paper said the cute baby birds on the front page of the June 30 paper were a second "clutch." What’s a clutch? — Terri W., Medford. Bird reproduction is seasonal, Terry. It begins in the spring when adult birds nest. Most nesting birds lay several eggs. The eggs are a clutch. Some birds manage a second clutch in a season. Clutches vary widely. Vultures lay one or two eggs, terns and gulls two or three, hawks and songbirds two to five, pheasants a dozen or more. Clutches can vary within a species by habitat, latitude, abundance of food or population density. Whooping cranes lay two eggs but plan to raise only one. The second egg is "insurance" in case the first is lost to predation or accident. Some birds are indeterminate layers, and will lay another egg if eggs are removed from the clutch. The domestic hen is an example. Scientists think many songbirds produce fewer eggs if there is a high chance the nest will be robbed. This could mean a smaller (harder to find) nest, and more energy for a second clutch. Tests are ongoing. Stay tuned. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities