Nest_Building Instinct When female hummers arrive and mate in the spring, they know by instinct to build a nest for their young. These little homes must be strong yet soft and stretchy enough to hold fast-growing nestlings. The nest must also protect nestlings from cold, rain, and predators. That's no easy task!
Nesting Materials Look closely at this hummingbird nest. What materials do you think were used to build it?
Dandelion Seed Heads Why are fluffy dandelion seed heads good material for a hummingbird's nest? Fluffy down from dandelions and other plants is soft, waterproof, and easy for hummers to work with. It also keeps cold air out of the nest. A hummingbird can find lots of dandelion down floating about in the spring!
Cattail Flower Seed Heads Cattail flower seed heads were once used inside blankets and pillows. People also stuffed them into shoes for warm insulation. Where are these seed heads placed? Plant down is usually too white for the outside of the nest, but perfect on the inside. The down is soft and warm next to a hatchling's fragile bare skin.
Spider Web Silk Spider silk is a good nesting material because it is easy to find, strong as steel, sticky enough to hold plant materials together, and waterproof. A hummer can easily grasp it with its tiny beak. Best of all, it's the stretchiest material available. This allows the nest to grow with the babies!
Lichens A lichen is an organism containing both a fungus and an algae. Why would hummingbirds place lichens on the outside of a nest? Lichens are tiny, strong for their weight, easy for a tiny hummer to work with, and waterproof. Because their color provides camouflage in trees, lichens are usually placed on the outside of nests.
Soft Fluff and Sticky Resin A female hummingbird forms the soft lip of the cup-shaped nest by pressing fluffy materials between her bill, chin, and chest as she rotates her body. She might use a bit of sticky resin from a pine tree to hold it all together.
Tiny Bird, Tiny Nest It takes a female hummingbird about 5-6 days to build a nest that will be just right for incubating tiny eggs and cradling growing hatchlings. Use the penny and toothpick to estimate the size of this hummingbird nest.
Home Safe Home A nest is a little home — strong, soft, and stretchy — built in a place that will protect nestlings from cold, rain, and predators. How do you think this nest location will help the mother and her nestlings survive?
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Driving Question
What materials do hummingbirds use to build the perfect nest?
