The Dark-Necked Tailorbird

Can you see the bird in the picture? It’s snuggled inside a leafy nest. This is a Dark-necked Tailorbird, a brightly-colored avian living in lowland tropical forests, forest edges, and gardens of southeast Asia. The dark neck patch is only present in males. Tailorbirds can be hard to spot since they are quite small (only about 5 inches in length) and are a rather shy species. The Tailorbird gets its name from its ability to “sew” their nests together. Over the course of a few days, the female tailorbird will choose a broad, strong, flexible living leaf which can provide good structural support for her nest. The clever bird will wrap the leaf around herself to make sure it is the right size. She then uses her feet to pull the leaf together and pierces a series of miniscule holes along the leaf’s edge, using her needle-like beak. The holes are so tiny that the leaf will hold its shape and not turn brown. The Tailorbird then threads fibers (cotton or lint) and silk (from spider’s cobwebs or caterpillar’s cocoons) through the holes. The edges of the threads act like rivets, holding the leaf edges together. A single nest can contain between 150 and 200 stitches. The nest bed is then built inside the leaf, providing a snug, waterproof home for 3-4 chicks to be born. Psalm 104 tells how God has provided trees as a sanctuary for bird’s nests. But surely, the creativity He built into this little Tailorbird has to make it the most amazing nest-builder of all!

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Dave.