Exploding
The rapid departure of nestlings of nidicolous birds from their nest if disturbed by a potential predator during the period just before they would normally leave. It is an adaptation for survival, in that if the birds remained in the nest the predator would be likely to kill the entire brood, whereas exploding scatters the brood and so gives at least some of the young the chance to escape.From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver