What is Fledge?
[[File:Common_Myna_Fledgling.jpg|thumb|right|A Common Myna fledgling rests on a lawn below its nest.]] '''Fledge''' is the stage in a young [[bird]]'s life when the feathers and [[wing]] muscles become developed enough for flight.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fledge |title=Fledge - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary |first= |last= |work=merriam-webster.com |year=2011 |accessdate=11 December 2011}}</ref> It also [[wikt:describe|describes]] the act of a chick's parents raising it until it is fully grown. A young bird that has recently fledged but still needs care and feeding is called a '''fledgling'''. In [[ornithology]], fledging has many meanings, depending on species. Birds are sometimes [[wikt:consider|considered]] fledged once they leave the [[bird nest|nest]], even if they still cannot fly. == References == {{reflist}} {{Commons category|Fledglings}} {{biology-stub}} [[Category:Developmental biology]] [[Category:Birds]]