nestling

noun
nest·​ling | \ ˈnest-liŋ How to pronounce nestling (audio) \

Definition of nestling

: a young bird that has not left the nest

Examples of nestling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shattuck discovered fishing line tangled around one nestling’s leg and freed the bird. Washington Post, "‘Beautiful noise’: These Bellevue birds are bound for Brazil," 29 July 2019 Return sausage to skillet, nestling among vegetables. Kate Merker, Country Living, "Seared Sausage with Cabbage and Pink Lady Apples," 21 Sep. 2018 If a baby bird is a nestling (three to 10 days old) on the ground, it should be put back into its nest. Denise Coffey, Courant Community, "Found A Baby Bird? Here's What To Do," 17 June 2018 Milan hit back in the 22nd minute, as Çalhanoğlu caught Pioli out with a 20 yard free kick that flew across the face of goal, bouncing in front of the keeper and nestling into the bottom corner. SI.com, "AC Milan 5-1 Fiorentina: Red Hot Rossoneri Fightback to Book Place in Europa League Group Stage," 20 May 2018 But this occurs only when birds are nestlings and still maturing. Marlene Cimons, Washington Post, "Hot temperatures made these birds shrink," 21 Apr. 2018 The researchers measured levels of the stress hormone corticosterone in adult females and nestlings of the three species at all the nest boxes over three years. Amy Mathews Amos, Scientific American, "Oil- and Gas-Drilling Noise Stresses Birds," 1 Apr. 2018 Scientists transported this male eagle from Wisconsin to New York in 1977 while still a nestling. Douglas Main, Newsweek, "Nation’s Oldest Bald Eagle Found Dead in New York," 17 June 2015 But only 55 percent of the birds successfully raise nestlings to be at least one month old, compared to a national average of 68 percent. Bruce Henderson, charlotteobserver, "Feisty and territorial falcons fly back to NC mountains. Climbers are getting credit.," 15 Feb. 2018

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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First Known Use of nestling

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for nestling

nestling

noun

English Language Learners Definition of nestling

: a young bird that is not yet able to fly away from the nest

nestling

noun
nest·​ling | \ ˈnest-liŋ How to pronounce nestling (audio) \

Kids Definition of nestling

: a young bird not yet able to leave the nest