We report the nesting biology of birds in the Cerrado (savanna, both natural and anthropic) of the Federal District of central Brazil, with emphasis on nests, eggs, nesting periods, brood patches, reproductive behavior and period of nesting activity. With 196 nests of 42 species found from 2002 through 2009, we found that most species nested from September to November/December, at the onset of the rainy season, with extensive overlap among species. Contrary to expected for a tropical region, the breeding season period of most species was brief, and lasted 3–4 months. As expected for a tropical region, most species laid two eggs, but clutch sizes reached a maximum of six eggs in a few species. The strong seasonality of the Cerrado, with a rainy season of 7–8 months, is apparently the most important factor that limits breeding and other activities (ex. molt) in this region. Few studies like this are available for the Neotropical region, yet they are fundamental and are still needed and useful for the development of life history theory. Therefore, we recommend that breeding biology receives much more emphasis in future research than to date.