A Hummingbird Home | The Family Handyman

Updated: Jun. 05, 2024

Zoom in on one of these teeny-tiny nests and take a tour of its artful structure.

hummingbird istock/Terryfic3D

How a Hummingbird Makes a Nest

The female smooths and shapes the inside of the nest using her body.
Lichens, mosses, plant down and fibers make up the nest and camouflage its exterior.
Her nest is big enough for two eggs, and incubation lasts 12 to 19 days.
Most nests are built in the fork of a tree or shrub, 10 to 40 feet above the ground.
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.
A hummingbird nest is about the size of a quarter, and one egg is roughly the size of a jelly bean!