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Deep cup nest of the great reed-warbler. A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American robin or Eurasian blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the Montezuma oropendola or the village weaver—that is too ...
Other birds often built their own nests on top of Weaver nest sites. [4] Some birds build nests in trees, some (such as eagles, vultures, and many seabirds) will build them on rocky ledges, and others nest on the ground or in burrows. [3] Each species has a characteristic nest style, but few are particular about where they build their nests.
Amongst birds, 5% of all birds use mud and stones in their nest for toughness and compressive strength. [17] Males in some species of crab will construct structures out of mud to attract mates and avoid predators. [23] Uca musica, also known as fiddler crabs, will build short, wide “hoods” out of sand.
The nest, which is built by both sexes, is a raised mound of uprooted grass, and other plant material sited on a small island in shallow water, or occasionally floating. Sometimes, the birds make hardly any nest, take over a disused swan nest, or simply lay on bare ground. [24]
Bee-eater nests may be raided by rats and snakes, [38] and the adults are hunted by birds of prey such as the Levant sparrowhawk. [39] The little bee-eater and red-throated bee-eaters are hosts of the greater honeyguide and the lesser honeyguide, both brood parasites. The young honeyguides kill the bee-eater's chicks and destroy any eggs.
Tailorbirds get their name from the way their nest is constructed. The edges of a large leaf are pierced and sewn together with plant fibre or spider silk to make a cradle in which the actual nest is built. Punjab tailor birds produce shiny red eggs, but became extinct around 1975 due to laying their eggs in fields used to grow fodder crops.
In other species, and when nestlings are older, sacs are typically taken some distance from the nest and discarded. [7] Young birds generally stop producing fecal sacs shortly before they fledge. [8] Removal of fecal material helps to improve nest sanitation, which in turn helps to increase the likelihood that nestlings will remain healthy. [9]
Oology (/ oʊ ˈ ɒ l ə dʒ i /; [1] also oölogy) is a branch of ornithology studying bird eggs, nests and breeding behaviour. The word is derived from the Greek oion, meaning egg. Oology can also refer to the hobby of collecting wild birds' eggs, sometimes called egg collecting, birdnesting or egging, which is now illegal in many ...