This is a bird note.

Some birds nests make a grand visual statement.

An Osprey's massive stack of branches atop a broken off tree is hard to miss. At another extreme, some nest builders are minimalists, like the

tree swifts of South Asia and the Southwest Pacific.

There are four species of tree swifts and they range from swallow to robincized.

They're dark with long slim wings and tails and crested feathers top their heads.

They fly effortlessly snatching delicious insects from mid-air.

Tree swifts fashion their nests from bits of plants and feathers and lots of saliva.

The entire nest consists of a tiny cup sized just right to hold a single egg.

The Swift's nest holds the egg upright with the top half the egg exposed. The a nest hidden in plain sight. The adult swift straddles the twig just above the

cup and lowers itself onto the egg to keep it warm. The camouflage is

ingenious. The adult appears simply to be perching not sitting on a nest.

With the tree swift nest lacks in size,

it more than makes up in stealth.

And it's a testament to the strength of that tremendously sticky saliva.

For Bird Note, I'm Mary McCann.

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