Many birds around the world use plant material to build nests that allow for hatching eggs and keeps chicks safe (Healy et al. 2015). Despite being a common phenomenon in nature, our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying how and why specific plants are selected for nest building is somewhat limited. Hummingbirds (Trochilidae) in particular depend strongly on plant materials to build their nests (Calvelo et al. 2006, Torres-Dowdall et al. 2007). Hummingbirds commonly use mosses as nesting material because mosses can retain moisture for long periods and thereby prevent eggs from drying out (Breil and Moyle 1976, Blem and Blem 1994).

中文翻译：

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妈妈最清楚：为什么通才蜂鸟选择数量较少的苔藓来筑巢

世界各地的许多鸟类使用植物材料筑巢，以便孵化鸡蛋并确保小鸡安全（Healy 等人，2015 年）。尽管是自然界中的普遍现象，但我们对如何以及为何选择特定植物进行筑巢的机制的了解还是有限的。蜂鸟（Trochilidae）尤其强烈地依赖植物材料来筑巢（Calvelo et al. 2006, Torres-Dowdall et al. 2007）。蜂鸟通常使用苔藓作为筑巢材料，因为苔藓可以长时间保持水分，从而防止卵变干（Breil 和 Moyle 1976，Blem 和 Blem 1994）。