STAFF at Birdland are paying tribute to some of the best of Bird Mums to celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend.

This time of year is a busy period for the feathered mums and bird-keeping team as the residents are starting to lay their eggs and brooding over them as progress is eagerly monitored by the team.

This weekend there will be a talks programme at the Bourton attraction which highlights some of Birdland’s hard-working hens, so visitors can hear more about how birdlife looks after its young.

Birdland’s Head-Keeper Alistair Keen said: “In fact in some cases it’s the males that actually do most of the hard work when it comes to looking after the babies, the Rhea male has a harem of females laying eggs into his nest.

"He will then incubate for 40 or so days and be responsible for protecting the chicks.

"The King Penguin parents share incubation of their single egg – taking it in turns to keep the egg warm on top of their feet”.

With the unseasonably warm weather some of the feathered fowl have started laying already causing the bird-keeping team to play close attention and put some of the early eggs into the special incubator.

“The mild winter has meant that some species are trying to breed earlier," said Mr Keene.

"The Peacock Pheasant eggs are two months earlier than last year and we have put the eggs in incubation as the male has in the past broken the eggs.”