Tropical songbirds get their growth spurt late
Delayed development helps fledglings survive after leaving the nest
![whitehead's broadbill and hermit thrush](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/ticker_broadbill_thrush_free.jpg?fit=860%2C460&ssl=1)
MOUTHS TO FEED Tropical birds like the Whitehead's broadbill (left) tend to raise fewer nestlings at a time than birds in temperate regions, like the hermit thrush (right). The reason may lie in how those babies grow, a new study suggests.
Both: T. Martin