Editing Common tailorbird (section)

===Breeding===
[[Image:Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) Nest in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7248.jpg|thumb|upright|Nest showing the rivets]]

The breeding season is March to December peaking from June to August in India, coinciding with the wet season. In Sri Lanka the main breeding periods are March to May and August to September, although they can breed throughout the year.<ref name=pcr>{{cite book|last1=Rasmussen |first1=P.C. |last2=Anderton |first2=J.C. |author-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen |year=2005 |title=Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions |page=477}}</ref>

Although the name is derived from their nest construction habit, the nest is not unique and is also found in many ''[[Prinia]]'' warblers. The nest is a deep cup, lined with soft materials and placed in thick foliage and the leaves holding the nest have the upper surfaces outwards making it difficult to spot. The punctures made on the edge of the leaves are minute and do not cause browning of the leaves, further aiding camouflage. The nest lining of a nest in Sri Lanka that was studied by Casey Wood was found to be lined with lint from ''Euphorbia'', ''[[Ceiba pentandra]]'' and ''[[Bombax malabaricum]]'' species. [[Thomas C. Jerdon|Jerdon]] wrote that the bird made knots, however no knots are used. Wood classified the processes used by the tailorbird in nest as sewing, rivetting, lacing and matting. In some cases the nest is made from a single large leaf, the margins of which are rivetted together. Sometimes the fibres from one rivet are extended into an adjoining puncture and appearing more like sewing.<ref name=wood>{{cite book |year=1925 |publisher=Smithsonian Report |author=Wood, Casey A. |title=The nest of the Indian tailor bird |pages=349–354 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annualreportofbo1925smit#page/n387/mode/2up}}</ref> The stitch is made by piercing two leaves and drawing fibre through them. The fibres fluff out on the outside and in effect they are more like rivets.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Neelakantan, K.K. |year=1976 |title=On some nests of the Tailor Bird (''Orthotomus sutorius'') |journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=396–400|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48293399}}</ref> There are many variations in the nest and some may altogether lack the cradle of leaves. One observer noted that the birds did not utilize cotton that was made available<ref>{{cite journal|author=Briggs, F.S. |year=1929 |title= A note on the breeding of the Tailor Bird ''Orthotomus sutorius'' |journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=710–712|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47489882}}</ref> while another observer, [[Edward Hamilton Aitken]], was able to induce them to use artificially supplied cotton.<ref>{{cite book |page=106 |title=The common birds of Bombay |author=Aitken, Edward H.|year=1900 |publisher=Thacker & Co |url=https://archive.org/stream/commonbirdsofbom00aitkrich#page/106/mode/2up}}</ref> The usual clutch is three eggs.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Nest structure variation in Common Tailorbird ''Orthotomus sutorius'' in Kutch, Gujarat |author1=Tiwari, J.K. |author2=Anupama |year=2006 |journal=Indian Birds |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=15 |url=http://www.indianbirds.in/pdfs/Nest%20structure%20variation.pdf |access-date=2009-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720174658/http://www.indianbirds.in/pdfs/Nest%20structure%20variation.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Whistler, Hugh |year=1949 |title=Popular Handbook of Indian. Birds Edition 4. |pages=167–168 |publisher=Gurney and Jackson |url=https://archive.org/stream/popularhandbooko033226mbp#page/n207/mode/2up}}</ref>

The incubation period is about 12 days. Both male and female feed the young. Mortality of eggs and chicks is high due to predation by rodents, cats, crow-pheasants, lizards and other predators.<ref name=hbk/> The young birds fledge in about 14 days. The female alone incubates according to some sources, while others suggest that both sexes incubate; however, both parents take part in feeding and sanitation.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Neelakantan, K.K. |year=1976 |title=On a nesting pair of Tailor Birds (''Orthotomus sutorius'') |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=73|issue=1|pages=219–221|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48293210}}</ref> The males are said to feed the incubating female.<ref name=hbk/> An unusual case of a pair of tailorbirds adopting chicks in an artificially translocated nest belonging to a different pair has been recorded.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Rane, Ulhas |year=1983 |title= Unusual adoption by Tailor Birds (''Orthotomus sutorius'' Pennant) |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=641–642|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48744275}}</ref> Nests are sometimes [[brood parasitism|parasitized]] by the [[Cacomantis merulinus|Plaintive Cuckoo (''Cacomantis merulinus'')]].<ref name=hbk/>