Jia Wei Woo’s video shows an Ashy Tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps) inside an incomplete nest. The tailorbird had partially completed the nest pouch, having stitched a few leaved together. This is usually done with cobwebs, silk from insect cocoons, fine plant fibres or down. Cobwebs can be seen in the nest, so it mush have used this material.
The tailorbird pierces the leaf edge with its sharp bill and through these holes it passes the “threads” fluffing the ends into balls so as to rivet the edges of the leaves together. These thread balls can clearly be seen in the video.
The leaves selected need to be healthy and able to last the duration of the nesting, least they fall off, causing damage to the nest.
An earlier posting shows nest building by the Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius).
The nest proper here is being actively constructed with plant materials and will be lined with plant down.
Note the rapid movements of the bird inside the nest.
Details of the tailorbirds’ nests can be viewed HERE and HERE.
Jia Wei Woo
Singapore
November 2015
This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behavior through photography and videography to a wider audience.