Essentials Inside a hummingbird’s nest
Zoom in on one of these teeny-tiny nests and take a tour of its artful structure.
The female smooths and shapes the inside of the nest using her body.
Her nest is big enough for two eggs, and incubation lasts 12 to 19 days.
She collects and weaves stretchy spider silk through the nest to hold it together, bind it to the supporting branch, and stretch as the chicks grow.
Lichens, mosses, plant down and fibers make up the nest and camouflage its exterior.
Most nests are built in the fork of a tree or shrub, 10 to 40 feet above the ground.