nestling
Americannoun
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a young bird not yet fledged
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( as modifier )
a nestling thrush
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any young person or animal
Etymology
Origin of nestling
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English; see origin at nest, -ling 1
Explanation
A nestling is a baby bird that can't fly yet and tends to hang out in its — yes, you guessed it — nest. Nestlings have to be fed and cared for by their parents. From the moment a baby bird hatches from its egg, it is a nestling — and it remains a nestling until it learns to fly, when it officially becomes a fledgling. Some people fondly refer to young children as nestlings too. This noun adds the diminutive ending -ling (as in gosling for baby goose) to nest.
Vocabulary lists containing nestling
Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Middle School
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - Introductory
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Growth, Development and Reproduction of Organisms - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2010, Kings of Leon were forced to cut short a performance in St Louis, Missouri, after a flock of pigeons nestling above the stage took a dislike to their act.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
One unexpected finding was that warmer extremes were linked to heavier fledging weights during the nestling stage.
From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026
The study shows wildebeest frequently crisscross the Sand River and the areas surrounding the Ritz-Carlton, even though they avoid forested areas nestling the camp due to the risk of predators.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
But for a hummingbird with a broken wing or a nestling with a missing mom, the situation is life-threatening.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2025
That nestling had opened his beak so wide he could have swallowed the very egg he’d pecked his way out of.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
