#animaldads

Happy Father's Day! Laysan albatross fathers on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge share in sitting on the nest, foraging for food and caring for their chicks. Dads typically have the first incubation shift for several weeks to give mom a chance to recuperate after laying the egg. Today, we thank those fathers and caregivers who have helped us grow. Whether you gave us the confidence to explore something new or made excellent dad jokes, we're grateful. Photo by Dan Clark, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Happy Father's Day! | Caption by: @natgeo | Greater Rheas are Amazing Dads - #FathersDay For most birds, females are stuck with child care. But not so for South America‘s greater rhea (pictured, an adult and baby in Argentina). Females mate with several males during the breeding season, and many birds will lay their eggs in one nest created by a male. The male then incubates up to 50 eggs for six weeks and cares for the newly hatched young. The dads aggressively guards the babies, charging at any animal—even a female rhea—that approaches. Because females put such a “heavy investment” of energy and resources into producing large eggs, it makes sense for males to pick up the responsibility of caring for the offspring, Forbes said in 2009. 🌎 PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDRES MORYA, VISUALS UNLIMITED/GETTY IMAGES #dad #animaldads #wildlife #conservation #wildlifeconservation #nature #bird #SouthAmerica #birding #animals #rhea #natgeo #KeyConservation