Buzz
As spring arrives, baby birds will soon fill the air with their chirps in trees and gutters. However, not all bird nests are alike. From mud to leaves to saliva, here are 10 species that craft some of nature’s most remarkable structures.
1. Sociable Weavers create enormous haystack-like nests in African trees.
Martin Heigan, Flickr
This colossal structure might appear to be a haystack, but it is actually a hive of nests. Much like an apartment building, it can accommodate up to 400 Sociable Weavers. The thatched roof shields the birds in the deserts of South Africa or Namibia by blocking out the daytime heat and insulating them from the cold at night. As the birds use this structure for generations, a nest can reach up to 100 years old—if it doesn’t fall from the tree limb first.
2. Malleefowl create massive mounds from bird-made compost.
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The nesting mound of the Australian Malleefowl is one of the largest on the planet. The largest recorded mound reached 15 feet in height and 35 feet in width, according to Guinness World Records. To build the mound, the male bird digs a hole and fills it with organic materials like leaves, sticks, and bark. He even turns the compost to accelerate decay, much like a gardener. When the compost heats up to between 89 and 93 degrees, the female lays up to 18 eggs on it, one at a time. The eggs are then covered with sand. During incubation, the male uses his beak like a thermometer to regulate the mound’s temperature. Despite all this effort, Malleefowl leave their chicks as soon as they hatch.
3. Golden-headed Cisticolas sew like skilled tailors.
The Golden-headed Cisticola of Australia constructs a living canopy out of leaves using spiderwebs. Positioned just 20 inches above the ground, this camouflage shields the nest from predators. The bird creates the canopy by piercing the leaves with its sharp beak and pulling a ‘thread’ through them to bind them together. This snug cover secures the nest, keeping it concealed as the plant continues to grow.
4. Black Kites decorate their nests with trash.
Fabrizio Sergio via LiveScience
Black Kites in Europe have adapted to human presence by decorating their nests with strips of white plastic. While some scientists suggest this is meant to camouflage the eggs, newer research proposes that the plastic is used to display power to other Black Kites. According to this theory, the birds view trash as a status symbol, much like humans display their wealth with large homes. It seems these birds are more like people than we thought.
5. Edible-nest Swiftlets construct nests from saliva.
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In caves across Southeast Asia, Edible-nest Swiftlets construct their cliffside nests from layers of their own saliva. The spit adheres to the rock and solidifies into a bracket shape, providing a platform for the bird to lay its eggs. These nests are also prized for bird's nest soup, a delicacy that has no flavor or nutritional value but remains one of the world’s most expensive foods. The demand is so high that many countries regulate the bird nest industry to prevent the swiftlet population from declining.
6. Rufous Hornero nests resemble outdoor ovens.
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The Rufous Hornero of South America is known as the ovenbird due to the unique way it builds its nest. The bird gathers mud and manure, shaping them into an upside-down bowl on a tree branch. As the sun bakes the mud, it hardens into a durable structure that resembles a clay oven. Since the birds construct a new nest for every brood, several mud nests can often be seen in a row on the same branch, all created by the same pair of birds.
7. Montezuma Oropendola nests resemble hanging sacks.
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These birds from Central America craft pendulous nests using vines and banana fibers. The nests can grow up to 3 to 6 feet long and resemble a ball dangling from a stocking. Since the birds live in colonies, up to 150 of these nests can hang from a single tree, although the usual number is around 30. The female spends 9 to 11 days weaving her nest. The male often observes her progress, and if he's dissatisfied, he will destroy the nest and force her to start over.
8. One Gyrfalcon nest dates back to the time of Jesus.
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The Gyrfalcon (pronounced JER-fal-con) is a large white falcon that nests in Arctic cliffs. They reuse the same depression or scrape in the rock for generations. In 2009, researchers from the University of Oxford used radiocarbon dating on a Gyrfalcon nest and discovered it was approximately 2,500 years old. Three other nests were found to be over 1,000 years old, and fragments of Gyrfalcon feathers were dated to 600 years ago. These birds have been returning to the same nest sites since the Roman era.
9. Bald Eagle nests are enormous.
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True to their American spirit, Bald Eagles build nests that are much larger than what they would need. Initially, when they first mate, the eagles create smaller nests, or aeries, between 50 and 125 feet above the ground, using branches and sticks arranged in a triangular pattern. Each year, they add more material, and over time, the nest can grow large enough for a human to sit in. The largest recorded Bald Eagle nest was discovered in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1963. It measured 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep.
10. Hummingbird nests are tiny (and utterly adorable).
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, hummingbird nests are so tiny that they can easily be mistaken for knots in the trees. In fact, the Bee Hummingbird’s nest holds the title of the smallest in the world, measuring just over an inch wide. The hummingbird constructs its cup-shaped nest by weaving together spiderwebs, feathers, and leaves to make it both strong and flexible, then covering the exterior with lichen. The bird then lays two eggs, each about the size of a coffee bean, inside. Awwww....
