A salmon’s “home” is its natal stream —the river or stream where it was born—and its nest is called a redd , a shallow gravel nest in freshwater. Salmon return to those spawning grounds to lay eggs, usually in clean, cold streams or rivers with gravel beds.

Quick Scoop

  • Home: the natal stream or river where the salmon hatched.
  • Nest: a redd, which is a shallow nest female salmon dig in gravel.
  • Where it happens: freshwater spawning grounds, not the ocean.

Simple way to think about it

A salmon is born in a stream, grows up in the ocean, then swims back to the same kind of freshwater place to spawn. The female makes a gravel nest, lays eggs there, and covers them with gravel for protection.

TL;DR

Salmon don’t have a “nest” like birds; they have a redd in a freshwater stream or river, and their home is their natal stream.