Its always something i wanted to know. With just wings,to feet and a beak,i dont see how they make them! It looks like they get mud and make into a bowl-like shape somehow,and then tey get leaves and twigs and junk and wrap them around the mud? Man i dont know >_>. Can anyone explain?
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I was impressed by how little information there actually is on the web about nest-building. The link below is to the lab of orn. up at Cornell. They've got lots of information available if you ask, and you should be able to find lots in a library as well.
As to some specifics, it depends a lot on the type of bird; some go for the 'minimalist' approach of bare rocks or dirt (most of them are ground-nesters or cliff-nesters), while others go for the 'look at my sexy house!' approach (see Bowerbirds, for example). In general, though, the idea is to build a foundation (usually of interlaced sticks or vines or grass, or a mixture of plant materials and mud or even just exclusively mud) with a central 'bowl' shape that may be just big enough for the brooding bird to tuck into on top of the eggs or hatchlings. The bowl may be cushioned with soft materials like feathers, grass, moss or such-like, and is often made using the bird's body as a template.
Building the nest is usually a fairly painstaking process, although some types of bird are more slap-dash and quick-and-dirty than others (look up into a Cardinal nest from below, for instance, and you wonder how the eggs don't just fall through). Mud-based nests are relatively easy - you just have to bring a ball of mud in the beak, pop it into place, and then smooth it out. Using sticks isn't too much harder - they just get the ends poked into the right spot between other sticks, and then more sticks are built into place around them to make a rough basket. Robins use a mix of sticks and mud to make a very solid nest that can often fall out of the tree without apparent damage. Grass or other soft fibers can be woven or even 'sewn' together into quite impressive constructions including bowls sewn onto several weed-stalks, hanging bags, and even huge, multi-room grass 'huts'. Look up Orioles, Weaverbirds and Weaver Finches for some nifty examples.
Feet and a beak are plenty to build some pretty intricate shelters, it turns out..
As to some specifics, it depends a lot on the type of bird; some go for the 'minimalist' approach of bare rocks or dirt (most of them are ground-nesters or cliff-nesters), while others go for the 'look at my sexy house!' approach (see Bowerbirds, for example). In general, though, the idea is to build a foundation (usually of interlaced sticks or vines or grass, or a mixture of plant materials and mud or even just exclusively mud) with a central 'bowl' shape that may be just big enough for the brooding bird to tuck into on top of the eggs or hatchlings. The bowl may be cushioned with soft materials like feathers, grass, moss or such-like, and is often made using the bird's body as a template.
Building the nest is usually a fairly painstaking process, although some types of bird are more slap-dash and quick-and-dirty than others (look up into a Cardinal nest from below, for instance, and you wonder how the eggs don't just fall through). Mud-based nests are relatively easy - you just have to bring a ball of mud in the beak, pop it into place, and then smooth it out. Using sticks isn't too much harder - they just get the ends poked into the right spot between other sticks, and then more sticks are built into place around them to make a rough basket. Robins use a mix of sticks and mud to make a very solid nest that can often fall out of the tree without apparent damage. Grass or other soft fibers can be woven or even 'sewn' together into quite impressive constructions including bowls sewn onto several weed-stalks, hanging bags, and even huge, multi-room grass 'huts'. Look up Orioles, Weaverbirds and Weaver Finches for some nifty examples.
Feet and a beak are plenty to build some pretty intricate shelters, it turns out..
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BIrds are the carpenters of the trees and make them so sturdy with their weaves and sewing tactics.I have found many that fell from tall tree and they were still intact after a 100 foot fall.THey also get twigs or pieces of plastics to get it waterproofed as well.Tip of the hat to all birds..
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Birds are actually smart. They can weave very easily. They only use mud to pack it, so it doesn't blow away in the wind.