Lamarr Wright, age 12, of Portland, Ore., for his question:

WHAT IS A TAILORBIRD?

A tailorbird is an old world bird of the warbler family that can be found in most of the tropical and southern temperate Asian countries. It received its name because it has the ability to sew.

The five inch long bird builds its nest in the shape of a cone by actually sewing the edges of leaves together with a plant fiber in a running stitch. Often the fiber is knotted at each end by the tailorbird to keep it from slipping through the leaf.

After the cone is properly stitched, the bird builts the nest inside the sewn leaf with either plant materials or hair. Into this nest the female tailorbird then lays three or four reddish or bluish white spotted eggs.

Both the female and the male tailorbird share the work of building the nest and they also share the chores involved in bringing up the young.

The birds eat mosquitoes, ants and other small insects.