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How To
Spot Baby Hummingbirds That May Be Hiding In
Your Yard
By PAMELA SIEGEL
Getting a glimpse of a baby bird can be one of life's little joys, but you might be wondering why you've never discovered a hummingbird's nest in the hope of spying on hatchlings.
Hummingbirds are not fans of birdhouses for nesting and tend to flock to certain nest-building plants and trees, including mulberry, willow, cottonwood, and poplar, to name a few.
The nests are also built anywhere from 10 to 90 feet off the ground in many instances, and the babies look a lot like other birds when they're newly hatched — only much smaller.
Their well-hidden nests can be mistaken for tree knots when the hummingbirds are not in the nest and are usually placed on skinnier-than-average tree branches.
Their nest size is generally about 1 inch in diameter and can vary a bit according to the species of hummingbird building the nest. Their eggs are about the size of a navy bean.
If you spot a nest and the babies inside, you’ll find they are tiny and weigh less than 1 gram. They won’t be able to stand just yet and will only start feathering in three weeks.