Few constructions in nature evoke a sense of coziness and warmth quite like nests — treetop homes built with love and care by birds to raise their babies. But this particular mom-to-be found a rather ingenious way of making her place even cozier.
Conservationist Bianca Caroline Soares is no stranger to seeing hummingbird nests perched on branches in the jungle near her home in Paraguay. But on a walk last Spring, she spotted one unlike any she’d seen before. This one had a roof.
Credits: Bianca Caroline Soare
Needless to say, Soares was impressed. “I saw five hummingbird nests that day, but this was the most ingenious,” Soares told The Dodo.
Thanks to the shade provided from that leafy roof, this hummingbird’s home was the nicest in the neighborhood — and it turned out to be a great place to start a family, too.
In the weeks and months that followed that first sighting, Soares continued to visit the clever bird’s nest, observing the tiny family she’d built it for.
“She had two hummingbird babies,” Soares said.
And on the hottest days, those babies surely benefitted from their mother’s thoughtful planning.
Credits: Bianca Caroline Soare
Soares said she hopes the little mom’s thoughtful planning will inspire people to take better care of nature.
The hummingbird’s thoughtfulness certainly helped her own tiny family. In time, all her babies grew strong enough to set out on their own, perhaps taking a lesson from the design of their childhood home when it comes time to build their own nests:
Location, location, location.
She shared the photos of the nest on Instagram, hoping that they would inspire people to take better care of nature and our planet, and wrote:
“To date, my favorite photograph. Too much cuteness in one photo!”
Hummingbirds live almost everywhere in the world, and there are 338 species of them.
These birds are very important for the ecosystem as they play a vital role in pollination. Since some species can fly as high as 4,000 meters, they can pollinate plants which other birds cannot reach, and would otherwise become extinct.
Also, their small size makes them very vulnerable and prone to dangers. As a result, some species are already listed as endangered.
Here are several tips to help you protect hummingbirds in your area:
- If you are a gardener, you can craft a feeder in a shaded area to supplement nectar for the birds. You can hang a clean dish or a bottle filled with sugar-water solution. To prevent collisions with the windows, place the feeders away from your windows, and break up reflections that might confuse them.
- Hummingbirds are easy prey for cats, so make sure you keep your kittens away from them.
- These birds are vulnerable to chemicals as they are very small, so try not to spray insecticides near the feeders.
- There are many hummingbird organizations you can join and help their conservation.
