Question by ben r: How to make a bird nest for a goldfinch?
MY teacher assigned us a project to build a goldfinch nest. What kinds of plants and twigs should we use to construct our goldfinch nest? What steps to take also…
Best answer:
Answer by gail
ADDED INFO: This is a Cornell Lab of Ornithology site that you have to subscribe to but their “free sample” page is about goldfinches w good info on nest building (just keep scrolling down). http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/080/articles/breeding
They will use a mix of plant materials like grass, weeds, strips of vine, small leaves, small bits of larger leaves, even spider webs. I’ve read that female goldfinches have been observed pulling apart nests of other birds to steal material for her own nest (it’s a jungle out there!). After it’s woven together the inside is lined w thistle or cattail down (very soft plant material). The birds will even use bits of lint from human clothes dryers it they find it as well as animal fur. Backyard birdwatchers often place balls of natural cotton (bought fr bird supply stores) out for birds to gather. Most of the work is done by the female but the male will gather allot of the material. It’s an open cup shape about 3 inches in diameter (inside diam is 2 inches). It’s secured between 3 or 4 branches in a tree or bush, usually at least 4 feet off the ground but can be 30+ feet up in a tree. There are various videos posted on-line to watch these birds gathering nesting material (one is sourced). Gee, I never had any interesting assignments like this for my homework!
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Tags:bird, Goldfinch, nest
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