Daring hummingbird caught nesting in risky place at Arizona national park, photo shows

A mother hummingbird had an entire 221,000-acre national park where it could pick a spot to build a nest, but it chose... right next to an electrical outlet?

Officials at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona found an elaborate hummingbird nest in a daring place. A broad-tailed hummingbird decided to build its nest on an electrical cord that is plugged into a wall socket, park officials said.

“Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) will often reuse the same nest, including this precarious one near an outlet,” the park said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.

People on Facebook were quick to point out how creative the hummingbird got while building its nest.

“Don’t show this to the regional Fire Marshal!!” one Facebook commenter said. “So cute though!!!”

Hummingbirds build soft nests that can stretch as the babies get bigger, park officials said.

“Mom weaves together plant material, fur, and spider web to bind their nests together and anchor them to the foundation,” park officials said.

Petrified Forest National Park is home to about 258 bird species, the park said on its website.

“The Petrified Forest National Park, like many national parks and protected areas for wildlife, provides habitat important to both resident and migratory bird species,” the park said. “The park’s rich cottonwood/willow riparian corridor along the Rio Puerco, thousands or acres of grassland and shrubland, juniper woodlands on mesa tops, and small areas of urban habitat provide for the needs of 258 bird species.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Daring hummingbird caught nesting in risky place at Arizona national park, photo shows."