Why bird nests aren’t covered in poop, explained to kids

An ornithologist explains the wonders of fecal sacs.

Earlier this year, I noticed a bird nest with a single bright blue egg sitting on my front porch. A few days later, there were four eggs, and in a few more days, the eggs hatched. What I witnessed over the course of these baby birds growing up was magical, but the experience also left me with a lot of questions about what goes on in the beginning of a bird’s life.

My biggest head-scratcher: Where does their poop go?

To answer all of my questions about these hatchlings, I spoke with professor of biology and lifelong bird lover Michael Murphy about the weird and often gross things birds do to survive.

This video is part of Vox’s first-ever week of video programming for kids. We designed these episodes for kids ages 9 to 13, but we hope everyone in our audience enjoys them.

If you’re a parent, educator, or a kid at heart, please sign up for our newsletter for updates on all of our upcoming kids’ programming at Vox, from podcasts to videos to new shows: http://www.vox.com/kids

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