Birds That Like Bottle Nests

Bottle Nest

• A bottle nest has a unique shape. It is spherical with thick, smooth walls and a tall, chimney-shaped entrance. Birds make them using soft grasses held together with sticks, mud and saliva. Bottle nests are somewhat of a combination of cup nest, which are rounded with a wide opening, and sphere nest, which are perfectly circular with a small hole at the top.

Hummingbirds and Swifts

• Bottle nests are not very common. Some species of hummingbirds and swifts prefer to construct bottle nests because they provide extra protection to the very small eggs of these species and may occasionally house the adult birds as well. These two types of birds use their own saliva to fuse together straw, grasses, feathers and other debris to make the nest in the crevices of tall trees.

Other Bottle Nest-Making Birds

• Some small, passerine birds (songbirds or perching birds) and some non-passerine birds also build bottle nests. The birds, such as warblers and flycatchers, build their nests in tall trees, chimneys and in the crevices of rock formations. Bottle nests are very well-insulated and strong. They protect the eggs, and occasionally the birds themselves, from high winds, low temperatures and other animals. Birds can also use the nests to trap insects that they feed on.

Man-Made Bottle Nests

• Humans also make bottle nests for birds. Like bird houses, bottle nests are ceramic or clay vessels that homeowners can attach to the sides of their houses for birds to nest in. The bottles are usually very large with wide bodies and narrow openings. Birds that prefer bottle-shaped nests will occasionally use these manmade bottles.