There is a swallow’s nest outside right now with like 6 babies in it that barely fit and no room in sight for the parents. Do the parents sleep there too somehow or somewhere else?
A few years ago I saw the same with a robin’s nest and in that case, when the babies got bigger but before they could fully fly, they all moved into a nearby shrub but could only glide and hop.
Was that unusual or common to have a nest too small to hold the whole breed and parents?
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Lots of birds dont actually sleep in nests. They are useful for keeping eggs from falling on the ground, but they aren’t a bed like you’re imagining. Most birds have a roosting spot, often just in a random tree.
Adult birds usually sleep somewhere else, unless sitting on the nest to provide warmth/protection. Nest is a nursery.
Nests are just for the babies. Adult birds typically sleep on a branch, or some other place where they feel safe. [Here is an example.](https://www.todayifoundout.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/birds-sleeping.jpg) Birds don’t build accommodations for themselves to live in, they just do it for making babies, and when he babies can fly they are done with the nest.
Ed: If you go reinspect the swallow nest you may figure out where the parents sleep – it’s probably very near by so they can monitor the nest. If you get too close to the nest there is a very good chance the parents will come out and defend it, so don’t do that.
It depends on the bird.
I have pictures of a Bald Eagle nest which has both parents, and both hatchlings in it at the same time.
> A few years ago I saw the same with a robin’s nest and in that case, when the babies got bigger but before they could fully fly, they all moved into a nearby shrub but could only glide and hop.
Most birds go through a “fledgling” stage in which they start to move around by themselves but haven’t developed their full flight capabilities. Many species completely abandon the nest at this point as it no longer serves any purpose and it would be difficult for the fledglings to fly back into it anyway, since generally nests are well hidden and fledglings aren’t good at flying.
A larger nest is more effort to build. Birds will build what they need – big enough for the babies until they can either fly or at least have a good survival chance elsewhere. Some birds don’t build nests at all.
Smaller nests are easier to build, requiring less energy which is a real consideration for non-human animals.
Additionally, a smaller nest will be easier to keep warm. When they are eggs and young chicks, they don’t have much ability to warm themselves. With a small nest one parent bird can completely cover the top of the nest meaning the eggs / chicks are completely enclosed and protected from the elements. If a nest is large enough for the parent birds to also use it, they wouldn’t be able to cover it completely with their bodies.
You can think of a nest like a crib. Parents don’t go into the crib unless they need to. They also don’t get a crib unless they need to.
But where are the parent birds’ beds? Birds actually don’t need much to be comfy. They are a bundle of fluff and by default, their claws close when they relax so hanging onto stuff is really easy. They sleep on twigs, branches, tree crevices, preferably with each other in a group. Like a giant sleepover on the floor, but they don’t mind.
Birds don’t sleep in nests, although a brooding mother might at times. Nests are only to keep the eggs protected, and it takes a lot of effort to collect materials and build them.
If you had to build furniture using only your mouth, it’d probably be only as large as you absolutely needed it to be, and you’d sleep on the floor instead of in a bed.
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