If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Western Grebe.

The male and female in a mated Western Grebe pair build the nest together. The nest is built from material found underwater, used to build a supportive mound on water or adjacent to water. Incubation is done by both partners and takes around 24 days. Within minutes of leaving the egg, chicks are able to climb upon the back of a parent. The adults take turns swimming with and feeding the chicks.

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Piping Plover.

When it comes to cute baby birds, it's hard to beat precocial shorebird chicks. Precocial chicks are ready and able to leave the nest soon after hatching. So they are covered in downy feathers, their eyes are open, but they are still tiny.

Piping Plovers are threatened, so their nests are monitored in several locations, leading to some spectacular photos of the extremely adorable chicks as they first make their way in the world.

Piping Plovers use a scrape on open beach habitat to nest. The scrape may be lined with small pebbles and shells. Incubation is performed by both the male and female, and takes around 26 to 28 days. They can walk away from the nest within hours of hatching.

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Canada Goose.

Canada Geese sometimes get a bad rap as nuisance birds and they have a reputation for being aggressive. But these North American native birds have their place in our environment. And it's hard to deny that they are handsome birds as adults, and pretty darn cute as babies.

Canada Geese start their nest with a scrape, and then build a nest out of local plant material. The inside is usually lined with soft downy feathers. The female goose will incubate the eggs herself; the process usually takes 25 to 28 days. At hatching, the chicks are fully covered with down. They are able to leave the nest within about 24 hours of hatching. They can swim upon leaving the nest; flight occurs 6 to 7 weeks later.

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the European Starling.

Across North America, the European Starling is a huge "success" story. Today's population of over 200 million birds can all be traced back to the release of about 100 individuals in New York in the early 1890s. Unfortunately, they compete with native birds, especially those that use cavities for nesting.

In Europe, where they are native, the starling population has suffered declines since the 1980s due to loss of available food sources.

Whether you see these birds as pests or beloved natives, it's hard to deny that they have pretty adult plumage and that they are even cuter when they are chicks.

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the American Flamingo and Greater Flamingo.

The six species of flamingo have similar nesting habits. They all breed in colonies. Mating rituals involve synchronized dancing. The nest is a pillar or mound of mud. A single chalky-white egg is laid per nesting attempt. Chicks, grey when first hatched, are fed a protein- and fat-rich diet of crop milk by both parents. Baby flamingos leave the nest around 7-12 days after hatching. Young birds gather in a group, called a creche, to evade predation as they grow.

Flamingos do well in captivity and breed if colony conditions are favorable, which include number of birds of breeding age and ratio of males to females. All of the example baby flamingo photos shared below were taken in zoological parks.

It's Crane Week, so how about a crane edition of our Baby Birdorable series to celebrate?

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Wattled Cranes are found in Africa, south of the Sahara. They raise their chicks near wetlands or marsh habitat, where they may reuse a goose nest or make their own sloppy grass nest. The average clutch size for Wattled Cranes is 1.6 eggs, the smallest of all the crane species. The incubation period of 33-36 days is the longest of all the cranes. Fledging takes another 100 to 150 days, another crane extreme.

Here are some adorable baby Wattled Crane photos taken at the Jacksonville Zoo by photographer Rob Bixby, shared here via Creative Commons (CC by 2.0). Can you spot the cute little baby wattle visible in some of the photos?

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Horned Lark.

Female Horned Larks build the nest alone. A natural depression is found, or a cavity is dug by loosening soil and flipping it away with beak and feet. Woven plant material is formed into a nest inside the cavity, which is then lined with soft material like fur and feathers. Once the eggs are laid, incubation, performed only by the female Horned Lark, takes around 11 days. Chicks are fed a diet of mostly insects while growing in the nest.

Baby Horned Larks typically leave the nest 8-10 days after hatching. It takes another two weeks before they are able to walk and fly as well as adults.

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr Creative Commons) of the Barn Swallow. Barn Swallows build a nest of mud, often on a man-made structure. Both the male and female build the nest, which is fortified with blades of grass. The nest is then lined with softer material, like grass and feathers. The baby birds hatch after about two weeks of incubation, and fledge from the nest after another three weeks or so.

Barn swallow nest (CC BY 2.0)

Barn swallow in the nest (CC BY 2.0)

Baby barn swallos (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Barn swallow fledling (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Mama barn swallow feeds her little ones (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Barn swallows (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Barn swallow nest (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Barn swallows (CC BY 2.0)

Baby barn swallows (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Young barn swallows (CC BY 2.0)

Barn swallow (CC BY 2.0)

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos of the Black-crowned Night-Heron. Black-crowned Night-Herons are colonial nesters, building their nests in trees in close proximity to other herons, egrets, and ibises. Incubation takes about 25 days and the chicks leave the nest at about 30 days of age.

Photo by Andy Morffew (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Photo by Michael McCarthy (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CC BY 2.0)

Photo by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Photo by Mike's Birds (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CC BY 2.0)

Photo by Ingrid Taylar photography (CC BY 2.0)

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos (shared via Flickr) of the Black Stork. Black Storks build large nests, typically in a very tall forest trees. Clutch size is usually 3-4 eggs; incubation lasts up to 38 days.

Black Stork, Eastern Ardennes, Belgium by Frank.Vassen [CC BY 2.0]

Junge Schwarzstörche, Ostbelgien by Frank.Vassen [CC BY 2.0]

Junge Scharzstörche im Nest, Ostbelgien by Frank.Vassen [CC BY 2.0]

Junge Schwarzstörche, Ostbelgien by Frank.Vassen [CC BY 2.0]

Junge Schwarzstörche, Ostbelgien by Frank.Vassen [CC BY 2.0]

Pretty cute, right? Be sure to check out our Birdorable Black Stork t-shirts and gifts!