They are brooded nearly constantly for the first 4 days after hatching, and are fed by both parents. This nestlings are altricial at hatching, but develop very quickly. The eggs hatch synchronously after 12 days. Both parents incubate the eggs the male incubates at night and the adults share incubation during the day. The female lays 3 to 8 eggs (average 4.8) at a rate of 1 per day. Excavation takes 7 to 20 days, and is usually begun about two weeks before egg-laying. The male and female excavate a nest cavity together, usually in a dead limb of a living or dead tree. Breeding pairs usually stay together for the length of a summer, and may mate together for more than one breeding season. Once a breeding pair forms, they forage together until incubation begins. Breeding pairs usually begin forming in late winter and early spring (January to March).
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