Birds Nesting
Building of nests is often a shared responsibility among coupled birds. The male may find the sticks, twigs, leaves, and trash that the female will use in nest building. The male Great Blue Heron in the first pictures below has just flown back with sticks to add to the nest and he is passing it on to the female. Once the nest is built the female will lay her eggs and sit on them until ready to hatch. Incubation periods vary among birds.
Certain birds not displayed here have a bad habit of depositing eggs in other birds' nests. The unsuspecting female will lay on all the eggs. The unwanted egg, however, is likely to hatch first and get access to the food being delivered by the parent and thus deprive the rightful newborns of their birthright and in many cases, their survival.
Certain birds not displayed here have a bad habit of depositing eggs in other birds' nests. The unsuspecting female will lay on all the eggs. The unwanted egg, however, is likely to hatch first and get access to the food being delivered by the parent and thus deprive the rightful newborns of their birthright and in many cases, their survival.
Bird nests can be found in flower baskets, boots, under a bridge, a car's tire, and other unusual places. The Celebrate Urban Birds Project at Cornell University sponsored a Funky Nests in Funky Places contest. Go to www.birds.cornell.edu for results. While on vacation in the Pocono Mountains, I saw baby birds nesting in a flower box outside a motel room. The parent Dark Eyed Juncos watched and cried out any time someone got too close to the nest.
| Great Blue Herons Building Nest |
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| Great Egret and Great Blue Heron Nesting |  |
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| Anhinga on Nest Black-Necked Stilt on Nest |
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| Burrowing Owl Protects Entrance to the Burrow and young within |  |
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There are nine types of nests. The classic form is the cup. The saucer type is a flattened cup. Some tree nests are spherical or in a pendant shape. Some nests are on the ground and in a mild depression known as a scrape nest while others may be in burrows up to 15 feet long under the earth. Other birds like higher elevations such as with a platform nest. Crevices between rocks and ledges as well as cavities of dead trees and saguaros provide still other forms.
Nests are made from a variety of natural materials such as grass, leaves, twigs, fruit, and mud as well as man-made items ranging from twine, string, paper, and straw to q-tips.
Nests are made from a variety of natural materials such as grass, leaves, twigs, fruit, and mud as well as man-made items ranging from twine, string, paper, and straw to q-tips.
Sample nests of perching birds such as the Baltimore Oriole, American Robin, Chickadee, and others.
LINKS
To access other website pages on birding click on the following titles:
To access other website pages on birding click on the following titles: