Nesting Material

You can help your birds build nests by keeping natural materials in your yard or by offering them suitable provided items.

Natural

• Structural materials (outer nest layer). These items give the nest strength and shape.
• Small twigs and sticks.
• Dead leaves, dry grass or straw (must be untreated—no pesticides or fertilizers).
• Pine needles, bark strips.

Soft lining materials (inner nest layer). These provide warmth and insulation for eggs and nestlings.

• Feathers.
• Plant fluff or down (e.g., cattail fluff, cottonwood down).
• Moss, lichen, rootlets or fine plant fibers.

To offer nesting material safely place materials loosely (never tied or bundled).

• Use: open trays, clean suet cages.
• Place small piles in shrubs or under trees.
• Keep materials dry and mold‑free. Refresh after rain if needed.

Materials you should never provide. These items are repeatedly linked to injuries, nest failure, and chick deaths.

• Dryer lint - Contains chemical residues, falls apart when wet, can suffocate or chill nestlings.
• Yarn, string, twine, thread.
• Human hair, plastic strips, tinsel, cellophane long pet fur, any pet fur treated with flea medication.
• Fabric scraps or synthetic fibers.

Provided Offerings

• Nest Building Ball
• 100% cotton, undyed & unbleached.
• Birds can pull into loose, fluffy tufts.
• Short fibres.

• Alpaca Fur - best “fur” option:
• No lanolin reduces the risk of eye irritation and mite attraction (a known issue with some sheep wool).
• Hollow fiber structure allows excellent insulation without trapping excessive moisture.
• Doesn’t mat easily when damp, maintains the airflow inside the nest.

    

Nest Building Ball made with 100% cotton, undyed, unbleached and short fibre.