Saturday, October 31, 2009

Falcon - INSIDE THE egg


INSIDE THE egg, the Peregrine chick has its head tucked under its wing.
A large muscle called the hatching muscle runs from the middle of the neck to the top of the head. About 30 days after incubation has started, this muscle contracts.
The chick's head snaps up and the egg tooth, a hard pointed knob on top of the beak, cracks the inside of the eggshell.
This creates a "pip" - a small hole with tiny cracks spreading out across the shell. One to two days after pipping, the chick begins moving around in the shell.
The egg tooth scrapes against the eggshell, cutting a ring through it. 33 days after the egg is laid, the chick breaks out.