They can be seen singing or foraging during the day, but where do birds sleep at night? Do birds use nest boxes to roost? We answer the questions below.
Eating, singing, flying, laying eggs and raising the offspring - the life of a bird is exhausting and rarely offers the opportunity to relax. Especially during the courtship and breeding season, the feathered animals are in constant use. However, since no one has infinite energy reserves, birds also have to rest in between and - just like us humans and every other animal - sleep. But where exactly do birds sleep? And how do they protect themselves from enemy attacks or winter cold during this period? We would like to answer these and other questions in our info article.
How do birds sleep?
With the exception of nocturnal birds, most birds sleep at night. Most physical processes are shut down and the animals can recover from the hardships of the day. However, their perception is not completely switched off. Most birds are very light sleepers and can flee to safety at the slightest sign of danger. Some birds, such as ducks, never actually fall asleep, taking turns resting only one hemisphere of their brain to keep an eye on their surroundings.
Where do birds sleep at night?
The roosting places of birds can sometimes vary greatly and be very creative. Most songbirds spend the night in trees, clinging to branches. A special clamping mechanism in their legs ensures that they cannot unconsciously open their claws and fall from the tree, even while they are sleeping. During the breeding season, parents sometimes sleep in the bird's nest to keep the eggs and brood warm.
Other birds, such as the great spotted woodpecker, carve out special sleeping caves in which they spend the night. Swifts, on the other hand, are known to sleep during flight. The sailors climb high towards the evening and then restduring a predominantly passive gliding flight that slowly brings them back to the ground. In order not to lose control, swifts never sleep very deeply either.
Waterfowl such as geese and swans, on the other hand, sleep primarily in the water - swimming or perching on small islands - where they are safe from predators while sleeping. In fact, flamingos prefer to sleep standing up, stabilizing the supporting leg in a manner similar to songbird claws.
Where do birds sleep in winter?
In winter or during storms, birds like to sleep a little more sheltered. While most birds travel in pairs during the breeding season, many species, such as starlings, tree sparrows or wrens, form smaller sleeping communities in the cold half of the year. The frequency and size of these communities mostly depends on the cold of the winter. The birds then find themselves crowded together on branches, in tree cavities or in nest boxes.
Birds sleep in the nest box? This is to be considered when cleaning
A nesting box not only offers a practical home for a large number of garden birds in summer, but can also offer the feathered animals sheltered accommodation in winter. For this reason, nest boxes should definitely be left hanging in winter and cleaned either directly after the breeding season in late spring or again in spring.
You can find out more tips on cleaning nest boxes properly and how you can easily build a nest box yourself in our special article.