(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Hummingbird Nests. [1] ['A Pagan In Arizona', 'Kelli Anne Busey', 'Dan Bacher'] Date: 2026-07-28 My son Joe works mainly outdoors, and often brings home things he finds while going about his job. Including bird’s nests that have fallen to the ground; these are usually old and a bit damaged. Hummingbird nests are exceedingly rare to find. Or even to spot when they’re up in a tree, being very well camouflaged by foliage all around. A couple of weeks ago he brought home two, retrieved from fallen tree branches when he was cleaning up damage from a windstorm here. The first was clearly well used by it’s former occupants, being a little stretched, worn, and surrounded by tiny poops. This nest had been in a mulberry tree. Hummingbird’s nest, seen from above. aPaganInArizona Hummingbird’s nest, side view. aPaganInArizona It’s a testament to the sturdiness of their construction that both nests survived being battered and tossed to ground by a violent storm, yet retained their shapes and remained firmly fixed to the fallen branches. Both nests are about one and one-half inches across, about the size of a ping-pong ball or maybe a walnut. Hummingbird’s nest, seen from above. aPaganInArizona The second nest had been up in a cottonwood tree. It’s in nearly pristine condition. Given the amount of time passed between nesting season and the storm I expect that both were vacant when they blew down. Hummingbird’s nest, side view. aPaganInArizona Every hummingbird’s nest you will ever see is the work of a female bird; unlike many other bird species, the male has no role in the construction of a nest or the rearing of young. Hummingbird moms are all single mothers from the get-go. Their dedication and courage are phenomenal. Many years ago I was privileged to witness a hummingbird mom in action, and was so inspired by her that I got a tattoo of a hummingbird to memorialize her. I wrote about that experience here- https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/2/1/2077185/community/The-Hummingbird-s-Lesson/ Hummingbirds are native to the western hemisphere; their courage and even ferocity in defending their nests and food sources was marked by many Indigenous peoples. Who often associated hummingbirds with the sun, and with warfare. According to the book Birds: Myth, lore, & legend by Rachel Warren Chadd and Marrianne Taylor- The Aztecs designated a hummingbird god, Huitzilopochtli, whose domain was the sun and also war. For their size, hummingbirds are remarkably fierce and will, without hesitation, chase away other, larger birds. They are therefore often cast as symbols of war and battle. The Aztec god Huitzilopochtli, represented by a hummingbird, began life as a human warrior called Huitzil, and when he died in battle a green-backed hummingbird flew up from the spot where he fell, inspiring his men to press on and defeat their enemies. The Aztecs also believed that every man who fell in battle would be reincarnated as a hummingbird and spend eternity roving around the flower gardens of paradise (and presumably having fights with each other now and then, for old time’s sake). Once in a while a hummingbird will nest in an unexpected spot, like a potted plant or even a windchime. My favorite local plant nursery, Verde River Growers, shares pictures every year of the hummingbirds who return each nesting season to build their nests and raise their families in the trees on the property. It’s a busy place but those mama birds clearly prefer it even so. The owners of the business make sure they are left alone and undisturbed as long as necessary. A hummingbird mom on her nest. VerdeRiverGrowers/Facebook Here’s a cool video from PBS showing how a hummingbird builds her nest, which is made new every year- Thank you for reading. This is an open thread. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/28/800075507/community/hummingbird-nests/ Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/