Do birds continue to use a nest after the eggs have hatched and the fledglings flown?

ssabreman

Some do, some don't. Most birds that build cup-nests do not reuse them. They rebuild a new nest each year and sometimes recycle the nesting material. One reason for this is that the nest, after one cycle of breeding, often has outlived its usefulness. The dried soft plant materials would have begun to rot. Another reason is that there would be the typical odour left by the birds and their nestlings after the latter have fledged. Such odour can attract predators. A third reason is that old nests often contain a large number of ectoparasites that are potentially harmful to the developing young. Among birds that build large platform nests of twigs that are more lasting, recycling of the nests may be common. Hole nesters, especially birds that are not able to excavate cavities for themselves, need to reuse nests previously occupied by other species. Sometimes they evict the current occupants in order to make use of the cavities for themselves. http://besgroup.blogspot.com/2006/11/do-birds-recycle-their-nests.html Jun 26 11, 12:34 PM