The red throated hummingbird is a small hummingbird species found throughout much of North America. They are known for their metallic green backs and bright red throats on the males. When it comes time to build a nest, the female red throated hummingbird constructs a tiny cup shaped nest to hold her eggs and raise her young.
Where do red throated hummingbirds build their nests?
Red throated hummingbirds typically build their nests in the upper branches of trees, usually towards the end of a branch. They prefer trees with dense foliage that will help camouflage the nest and protect it from the elements. Evergreen trees and shrubs are common nesting sites for red throated hummingbirds. Other locations where they may build their nests include on vines, under overhangs, or even on brackets and posts.
What materials are used to build the nest?
The body of a red throated hummingbird’s nest is constructed from a variety of soft plant materials and downy feathers. Some of the most commonly used materials include:
- Spider silk – Provides a soft interior lining as well as an exterior binding material.
- Lichen and moss – Used to help camouflage the nest among branches.
- Plant down from dandelions or thistles – Provides a soft filling for the nest’s cup.
- Birch tree fibers – Woven to form the structural base of the nest.
- Feathers – Often interwoven with other materials for insulation.
The female hummingbird gathers these materials from her surroundings and weaves them together using her bill to create the tiny nest. Spider silk accounts for much of the outer rim and helps hold the nest together.
What does the nest look like?
A red throated hummingbird’s nest is an engineering marvel. Though smaller than a walnut, these tiny nests provide just enough room for hummingbird eggs and chicks. Here are some key features of red throated hummingbird nests:
- Size – Typically 2 inches wide and 1 inch tall.
- Shape – Round, thick-walled cup shape.
- Exterior – Camouflage colors with green mosses and lichens woven in.
- Interior – Thin spider silk lining and downy feather filling.
- Rim – Tightly woven plant fibers, bound with spider silk.
The cup shape and snug interior provides just enough space for the female to lay her eggs and care for the chicks as they grow. The tightly woven exterior keeps the nest secure in wind and rain. The nest’s small size and natural camouflaging help protect it from predators.
How is the nest built?
Building a hummingbird nest takes patience and skill. Here is the general process a female hummingbird follows when constructing her nest:
- Selecting a site – The female hummingbird chooses a suitable branch high enough for protection.
- Gathering materials – She gathers soft plant down, spider silk, fibers, moss, and feathers.
- Shaping the cup – Using her bill, she weaves plant fibers into the cup shape.
- Binding the rim – Spider silk is woven around the rim to reinforce the cup edges.
- Lining the interior – Soft down and feathers provide interior lining insulation.
- Camouflaging – Lichen and moss are added to the exterior to help conceal the nest.
- Completing construction – Any final weaving and shaping is done to complete the tiny nest.
The female does all the construction work herself over the course of 3-10 days. She may build multiple practice nests before settling on a final nest to lay her eggs in.
How many nests do they build in a season?
Red throated hummingbirds may build multiple nests in a single breeding season for a few reasons:
- Practice nests – Young females may build 1-2 initial nests as practice before building a nest for eggs.
- Replacement nests – If a nest fails due to damage or predators, she may build a new one as a replacement.
- Second broods – After a successful first brood, she may build a fresh nest for a second brood in a season.
In a typical breeding season, a female red throated hummingbird may build anywhere from 1 to 5 nests overall. The average is around 2 to 3 nests per season.
How many eggs do they lay in each nest?
Once the final nest is complete, the female will lay her eggs. Red throated hummingbirds generally lay 2 eggs per brood. The tiny eggs are white in color and only the size of a coffee bean.
The female will incubate the eggs for about 2 weeks before they hatch. Once hatched, the nestlings will remain in the nest for another 3 weeks as they are cared for and fed by the female before fledging from the nest.
Do males ever build the nest?
Nest construction is done exclusively by the female in red throated hummingbirds. However, the males may contribute to selecting the nest site and gathering some materials.
Typically the male’s role in reproduction is to court and mate with females, defend territories, and occasionally share in feeding duties once eggs hatch. But the females alone are responsible for building the intricate nests.
Do they reuse or repair nests?
Red throated hummingbirds will rarely reuse an old nest. They tend to build a new nest each breeding season. However, there are a couple exceptions where old nests may be repaired or reused:
- Renovations – A female may repair minor damage to a nest during the same breeding cycle.
- Second broods – She may reuse a nest within the same season for a consecutive brood.
- Following year – There are rare cases of nests being reused the following year.
In most cases though, new nests are built from scratch each breeding season. The old nests eventually fall apart through exposure to weather and animals over time.
Do other birds use hummingbird nests?
The nests of red throated hummingbirds are too small to be reused by most other bird species. However, there are a few special cases where other birds may make use of an old hummingbird nest:
- Other hummingbirds – Nest sites and materials may be reused by a different species of hummingbird.
- Chickadees – Black-capped chickadees have been observed nesting in old hummingbird nests.
- Yellow-rumped warblers – They sometimes build an new nest directly on top of old hummingbird nests.
- Insects – Bees, wasps, and ants may occupy empty hummingbird nests.
While rare, these are some examples of how other small birds and insects may make use of red throated hummingbird nests that are no longer in use by the hummingbirds themselves.
Conclusion
In summary, red throated hummingbird nests are tiny architectural marvels tailored specifically to the needs of these smallest of birds. Females alone build intricate cup-shaped nests high in trees using soft down held together with spider silk. The camouflaged nests provide insulation, support, and just enough room for the female hummingbird to safely lay her eggs and raise her chicks through fledging.