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What "Taking Under One's Wing" Really Means in Bird Life
- Bob Benenson
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
A Real-Life Mother Goose Story
The phrase "taking under one's wing" is said to date to about 1,000 years ago. In the human sense, it means being a mentor, guide or protector to someone who is younger and/or less experienced.
I've heard the phrase innumerable times in my now fairly long life. But — and some of my farmer friends may laugh — I never knew what it meant in the animal world until just a few years ago.
I took the above photo in May 2020, early in the COVID pandemic, when I wandered down to the North Pond bird sanctuary in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood in search of some natural beauty and a bit of the old normal. We have some huge flocks of Canada geese, and it was already a ritual for me to visit the pond this time of year to enjoy the spectacle of the new generation of goslings.
I happened upon an adult with a big brood of goslings, and got to watch some magic happen. Mother Goose lifted a wing — something birds do to give their young shelter, warmth and protection — and her little yellow-fluffed babies scrambled under. So that was my a-ha moment about "under the wing."
I haven't seen it again often and I'm happy that I have my camera when I do. I love the above photo, which I took in 2023, in which two curious goslings couldn't resist taking a peek out from under mom's wing.
I bring this up because it happened again during one of my recent visits to the pond. This goose was minding a very big brood; I counted 10 goslings, too many to fit even under her big wing.
Given the way this little one was sounding off, maybe it was the designated gosling guardian. :)
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