Definition

1. Verb:
   • To gather or collect bird nests: The act of searching for and taking bird nests, often for eggs, study, or collection.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • They went bird-nesting in the early morning. (They went out to search for and gather bird nests in the early morning.)
  • It is illegal to bird-nest in this protected area. (The act of collecting bird nests is prohibited in this conservation zone.)

Advanced Usage

• "to go bird-nesting": to engage in the activity of searching for bird nests.
  • As a child, he loved to go bird-nesting in the woods near his home. (In his childhood, he enjoyed the activity of looking for bird nests in the nearby forest.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bird's nest (noun): The structure built by a bird for laying eggs and rearing young.
  • We found a bird's nest in the old oak tree.
• Birdnesting (noun/gerund): The activity or practice of gathering bird nests.
  • Birdnesting requires patience and a good eye.

Synonyms

• Nest gathering: The act of collecting nests.
• Nest hunting: Searching for nests.

Notes on Usage

• The term "bird-nest" as a verb is less common than the noun form "bird's nest". It is typically used in specific contexts related to foraging, natural history study, or, historically, egg collecting.
• In modern contexts, the activity is often regulated or illegal to protect bird populations, so the verb can carry connotations of a historical or illicit activity.

Verb

1. gather birdnests
   • They went birdnesting in the early morning