Science: Penguin-Sitters

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Birds have a baby-sitter problem too, and most of them have not solved it. Either mother bird or father bird has to stay at nest, or else leave the youngsters unguarded. Penguins are better organized, says Ornithologist Austin L. Rand in the Bulletin of the Chicago Natural History Museum. Adelie penguins, which live in Antarctica, take personal care of their eggs and their very young fledglings. But when the young reach the difficult intermediate stage, the couples organize in groups and appoint a few old birds to keep order in the nursery. Then all the parents need do is to bring back fish for the children.