Normal broods of little blue herons include four to five chicks that are hatched asynchronously.

The three eldest chicks (chicks 1, 2, and 3) are heavier than the youngest chicks (chicks 4 and S).

If a younger chick is part of a brood in which one of its older sibs has died (lost sib), its average weight is less than that of its older sibs but more than it would be if it were in a brood in which no sibs had died (no toss).