How do hummingbird nests differ from swift nests?

Hummingbird and swift nests differ significantly in their construction materials, placement, and structural design, reflecting the distinct behaviors of these two groups within the order Apodiformes.12

Hummingbird Nests

• Construction: Most hummingbird nests are tiny, delicate cups composed of plant fibers, moss, lichens, and spider webs, which provide elasticity.12
• Placement: They are typically "saddled" onto a branch or a forked twig.12
• Exceptions: The hermit hummingbirds build long, basket-like nests suspended from vegetation, often counterbalanced with pebbles or mud to remain level.12

Swift Nests

• Construction: Swift nests are primarily built using twigs, buds, moss, or feathers, which are bound together or attached to surfaces using the bird's sticky saliva. In some swiftlet species, the nest is composed almost entirely of this salivary secretion.13
• Placement: Swifts generally nest in enclosed or vertical spaces, such as caves, chimneys, rock crevices, or hollow trees. Some species, like the Asian palm swift, attach their nests to the underside of palm leaves.13
• Design: While many are cup-shaped, others are semicircular brackets attached to walls, or even elaborate sacks entered from below. A few species build no nest at all, laying eggs directly on bare surfaces.1