birdnest

Treetop egg holder

A birdnest is the structure birds build to hold their eggs and raise their young—typically woven from twigs, grass, and other materials.

The word also refers to edible nests made by swiftlets from hardened saliva, prized in Chinese cuisine for bird's nest soup.

As a verb, to birdnest is to search for or collect birds' nests: We spent the afternoon birdnesting along the cliffs.

metaphor

refuge

Place of safety

retreat · cozy · snug · shelter · nurturing · security · safe · protective · warmth · comfort

construction

twigs

Thin woody shoots

  • strawTube for sipping
  • mudWet soil mixture
  • mossSpore-bearing ground cover

feathers · weave · interlace · fiber · twining · lining · cup-shaped · platform · woven · grass

eggs

clutch

Mechanism linking engine to gearbox

shell · chick · brooding · laying · pipping · embryo · yolk · warmth · tending · hatching

species

robin

Small orange-breasted thrush

weaver · oriole · swallow · stork · osprey · magpie · crow · wren · finch · warbler

habitat

treetop

Uppermost branches

cavity · ledge · cliff · eaves · chimney · burrow · reed · marsh · ground · hedge

culinary

swiftlet

Small tropical cave bird

Chinese · collagen · gelatinous · harvested · cave · expensive · tonic · medicinal · texture · broth

Opposites
animal dwelling type

birdnestburrow

Animal's dug dwelling

den · warren · tunnel · hive · underground lair

structural elevation

birdnestcave

Underground hollow in rock

underground tunnel · rabbit warren

Family

bird, nest, birds, birding, birded, nests, nested, nesting, nestling

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G