Roost
A place where birds sleep, as opposed to a mere loafing ground. As most species are active during daylight ('diurnal'), they occupy their roosts during the night, but nocturnal birds have daytime roosts and those birds whose activities are governed by tides, for example some wildfowl and wader species, have high-tide roosts at any hour. A roost can contain any number of birds from one to several million, and may be situated on water, on the ground, in low vegetation, in bushes or trees, or on buildings or other man-made structures. Among the most obvious roosts are those of gulls (family Laridae) on lakes and reservoirs and of Starlings Sturnus vulgaris in small woods and on city buildings. The birds may flight to such roosts from considerable distances.From Peter Weaver's Birdwatcher's Dictionary
Copyright © 1981 by Peter Weaver