Do Birds suffer homelessness?

[rutineli]

As a religiously regular feeder of garden birds, I frequently watch the amazing variety of feathered freeloaders grabbing a beakfull of their menu choice and making off into the middle distance.
I tend to imagine that they are heading to the nest to nosh in secure surroundings, or feed the ankle peckers. Where are all of these imagined birdsnests then? Do garden birds always nest or only when they have hit it off with a sexy chick and fancy a bit of egg production? where then do the others call home ? the unattached, bachelor and spinster population?? Do they live in old bird seed boxes in shop doorways?? or are there single bird council nests somewhere??- rutineli

[wolf63]

...and here was me thinking that I was the only one who wondered about stuff like this.

Don't know the answer.

[burnhal]

in case you are being serious................
Nests are just that- nests. they are not homes!! They are used purely for the raising of chicks in the nesting season. Birds do not 'live' in them.
For some small species- wrens or blue tits or the like- old nests may be used in very cold weather for roosting- you can get an awful lot of wrens crammed in an old domed nest. A lot of birds re-use last years- particular the larger species- but most build from scratch. Some dont use anyting other than a cliff ledge- some dig tunnels- kingfishers and sand martins, puffins, shearwaters- though the latter two will happily use a rabbit hole.

Most birds roost in a nice sheltered tree or amongst ivy or the like. One of the greatest spectacles is a starling roost- we have one at Otmoor RSPB reserve- currently around 50000 birds circling lower and lower at sunset till they fall like a waterfall to roost in the reedbeds.

[rutineli]

burnhal - I am extremely grateful for your most informative answer . Yes of course I was serious and one must not judge a book by the cover. I woud by far prefer to be amused and amusing on this site than to display my erudition or lack of it to all and sundry. There is another question pending so I will try to make it more credible for you since you are obviously a valuable source of "WUZZO" (FRENCH YOU KNOW) information. - rutineli