nestling

nest·ling | \ ˈnest-liŋ

How to pronounce nestling (audio)

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Definition of nestling

: a young bird that has not left the nest

Examples of nestling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Game and Fish Department officials say there were 71 eagle nestlings during the 2019 breeding season, down from 87 hatched last year. — USA TODAY, "Surfboard proposal, Duke dorm opossum, Sky Bar’s back: News from around our 50 states," 15 Nov. 2019 The number of bald eagle nests being used for eggs and nestlings fell to at most seven in the early 1970s. — USA TODAY, "Liquid oozes onto highway, red squirrels rising, floods, oysters, exploding ATM: News from around our 50 states," 24 Dec. 2019 The 8-inch-long squirrels rely on conifer seeds for the bulk of their diet; insects, mushrooms, bird eggs, nestlings and other foods supplement the seeds. — Debra Utacia Krol, azcentral, "The Mount Graham red squirrel continues its slow recovery. Now it faces a new foe.," 4 Dec. 2019 Phoenix: An increase of bald eagle breeding areas this year didn’t result in more nestlings in the state. — USA TODAY, "Surfboard proposal, Duke dorm opossum, Sky Bar’s back: News from around our 50 states," 15 Nov. 2019 Hawks don’t have many natural predators, said Petersen, but great horned owls, and mammals like raccoons and fishers, can take hawk nestlings. — BostonGlobe.com, "“They’re power fliers. They head out over open water and island hop to Nantucket, Long Island, and so on. They’re not intimidated by water like buteos are.”," 10 Oct. 2019 First the team tested 140 crow nestlings in Davis, California, along a gradient that went from urban to rural over a span of three years. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "Crows love cheeseburgers. And now they’re getting high cholesterol.," 26 Aug. 2019 The nestlings who were about to fledge from the nest with higher cholesterol after eating the burger-rich diet actually had better body condition than their country cousins. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "Crows love cheeseburgers. And now they’re getting high cholesterol.," 26 Aug. 2019 The Clinton area crows gobbled up the three burgers a day that researchers put under nesting trees, with some adults delivering burgers to the nestlings and some eating or storing the food for themselves. — Liz Langley, National Geographic, "Crows love cheeseburgers. And now they’re getting high cholesterol.," 26 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nestling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Nestling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nestling. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.

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