Black-Chinned Hummingbird Bird Nest
collected pre-1920
1.25 x 1 x 1.25 Illinois State Museum Holland Collection
The Hummingbird gathers a variety of delicate materials and works continuously during daylight hours over a period of two to three weeks to create a blanket-like bowl for a nest. Its deep cup and density function not only to conserve body heat but to make a secure container for the precious pair of eggs tended by the female. Often beginning with spider web threads as an initial armature, she hovers, pokes, and adds lichens, mosses, and assorted animal hairs, augmenting them with more spider web to improve the flexibility and strength of her home.