Low Nesting Birds of Sligo
| SPECIES | NEST HEIGHT ABOVE GROUND Mean (range) (in ft) | NEST SITES |
|---|---|---|
| Mallard | 0 | usually near water, also on hollow logs, abandoned nests, base of tree |
| Killdeer | 0 | slight depression on ground, in the open |
| White-eyed Vireo | 3 (1-6) | bushes or young trees |
| Carolina Wren | 5 (0-30) | undergrowth near water, fallen treetops, brushy hedges; also nest boxes, old hornet nests, mailboxes, hats, even pockets of clothing left outside |
| Veery | 2 (0-11) | a tangle of vines, roots, or fallen branches |
| Wood Thrush | 5-8 (3-42) | usually in a sapling or shrub, or in fork or horzontal limb |
| Northern Mockingbird | 3.3-6.6 (5″-49′) | low in evergreens early, then higher in deciduous trees by summer |
| Brown Thrasher | 4 (0-25) | dense shrubbery, berry thickets, hedgerows, & undergrowth along forest edges |
| Common Yellowthroat | 0.6 (0-3) | shrubby thickets, marshes, brushy hillsides, wet meadows, hedgerows, overgrown fields; prefers wet areas |
| Ovenbird | 0 (0-5″) | well-drained, flat terrain with deciduous understory in forest of tall evergreen or deciduous trees |
| Kentucky Warbler | 0 (0-1′) | under ferns, in a dense tangle, or at the base of a tree or shrub |
| Eastern Towhee | 1 (0-9) | dense brushy cover, a small depression on the ground, overhung by vegetation |
| Field Sparrow | 1.3 (0-10) | weedy fields with scattered shrubs or small trees, in weedy (unmowed) orchards, or along bushy borders of farm fields |
| Song Sparrow | 2.8 (0-10) | bushy & edge habitats, edges of woodlands & marshes, hedgerows, residential areas; shrubby stream-bordered fields |
Data on nest heights & sites compiled by Michael Wilpers from Chandler Robbins & Eirik Blom,,
Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Maryland and the District of Columbia, Univ. of Pittsburgh Press, 1996.
(Some information also from Ehrich, Dobkin, & Wheye,
The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds, Simon & Schuster, 1988).
List of breeding birds of Sligo taken from presentation to FOSC by Gail Mackerinan.