The nest is designed to protect eggs and chicks from overheating and hypothermia. During egg incubation, it helps retain parental warmth. Thanks to the nest, the chicks grow in comfort and safety during the period of complete dependence on their parents.

In many birds, the male is responsible for selecting a site for the nest on his territory, and the female usually participates in its construction. Joint construction is quite common.

In pigeons, the male collects building material, and the female builds the nest. In ravens, both partners collect material, but only the female is involved in construction. In woodpeckers and kingfishers, both partners hollow out a hole in the tree. Swans and birds of prey also build nests in pairs.

Most birds use plants as building material for their nests. Wooded areas provide the widest choice - from large sticks to thin twigs, roots and strips of bark. Hummingbirds use lichens. Asian warblers, known as tailor's warblers, select large leaves from one branch, sew their edges together, and build a nest inside. Song zonotrichia and bobolink, nesting in meadows or fields, use cultivated and weedy grasses. Waterfowl - ducks, coots, grebes - collect aquatic plants for nests.

Birds are very creative with many other materials, both natural and man-made. Wool, feathers and spider webs are often used. Swallows and flamingos make mud nests. The smoky needletail attaches its nest to the surface using saliva. Rag scraps, paper, and plastic also often end up in bird nests.

For centuries, birds have nested among people. It is considered traditional that storks build nests on chimneys. Swifts prefer pipes to depressions in natural objects. Pigeons have long mastered the eaves of buildings. Owls live in barns and bell towers; swallows - under bridges and roofs The house sparrow is called so because of the place where it nests.

Birdhouses provide shelter for cavity-nesting birds, including siales, nuthatches, and even some ducks (the Carolina duck often uses the boxes). House wrens clearly appreciate human “gifts”: they nest in any hollow object - a rusty tin can, an empty flower pot, an old shoe. In the past, in Indian villages, purple wood swallows nested in empty bottle gourds hanging on the branches. Today, this species is one of the most voracious insectivores - a welcome inhabitant of cities and villages throughout North America. They live in special multi-apartment birdhouses mounted on high poles.

Nest construction

The most common nest shape is cupped. It is preferred by blackbirds, finches and other small birds nesting on land. Such nests are made by compacting building material. The female blackbird builds the nest herself, although the male helps her by bringing material. Having found appropriate place- a horizontally growing branch, a fork in a tree or a convenient ledge - the bird begins to crouch and circle around it. Sometimes several places are tried. With the help of her beak and legs, the female constructs the foundation of the future nest from twigs and blades of grass. Standing in the middle, she places softer materials around herself to form walls, then spins in place, compacting the structure with her chest and wings so that a compact bowl is formed. After this, a bedding of earth and grass is made in the shape of a bowl, and finally, the inside of the nest is lined with a dry and soft layer. All construction takes from 6 to 20 days.

Bird colonies

More than 95% of all seabirds - from penguins and gannets to petrels and guillemots - and almost 15% of the rest nest in colonies. The colonial lifestyle favors contact between potential sexual partners. The calls and actions of neighbors encourage birds to pair up, mate, and build nests more or less simultaneously. This ensures that all the chicks hatch within a short period of time, so that predators are unable to eat them all and cause less damage. In addition, in the colony you can quickly find a replacement for a dead partner and obtain information about the location of food. Colonial nesting allows for joint defense.

It is very important for any bird to protect its chicks from attacks by predators. First of all, the choice of location for the future nest plays a role. Many species rely on camouflage, such as covering the nest with leaves or building it in a burrow. Inaccessibility is also considered an advantage. Top tall tree, coastal cliff, isolated island will provide protection from land predators. Tropical frogs suspend elongated, sac-like nests from the tips of thin twigs, leaving snakes and other poison dart predators high and dry.

Bird nests make it easier to warm the eggs and provide protection for the clutches, brooding birds and chicks from adverse weather conditions and predators. The construction of nests in birds is an extremely complex phenomenon. Birds make a nest to lay eggs and raise chicks. However, there are birds that do not build a nest, and others do not raise their chicks in it, since they leave it immediately after hatching from the eggs. Most birds nest once during the year, many nest twice or more. Migratory birds do not nest in wintering areas.

Bird nests are very diverse in their location, shape and building materials used for their construction. The simplest nesting method is observed in nightjars, which lay eggs directly on the ground without even making a hole. Auks and other small auks nest in rock crevices without constructing special nests. A number of birds - river and little terns, some waders - dig a hole for the nest, but do not pave it with anything; in other waders, chickens, bustards, cranes and many other birds, such a hole has a more or less pronounced lining. Passerines that nest on the ground build a real nest in a hole, and the warbler also makes a kind of “roof” over the nest, which thanks to this has a side entrance. On ground nests are similar in structure to the floating nests of birds such as grebes, loons and marsh terns. These nests float in fairly deep water among vegetation and support the weight of a clutch of eggs and the incubating bird. The structure of the nests of birds that nest in trees and bushes is much more complex. But here, too, there are all the transitions from a simple bunch of twigs (pigeon) to the most complex nests, among which there are twisted nests of the chaffinch and green mockingbird, spherical nests with a side passage of the long-tailed tit and wren, hanging nests of the oriole and the remez.

Some of the most skillfully woven nests are built by many weaver birds. For example, the common social weaver creates group nests when there are up to 200-400 individual nesting chambers under a single roof. Trees are usually used as support for them, but in South Africa weavers readily use power poles.Many birds nest in closed areas. Many passerines, hoopoes, coraciiformes, woodpeckers, owls, parrots, some pigeons, etc. build nests in hollows. Woodpeckers themselves hollow out hollows for nests, other birds use natural hollows or hollows left by woodpeckers. Many birds swallows nest in rock crevices or in houses (swifts, etc.), swallows, many swifts make nests from moistened soil, and swiftlets make nests from lumps of saliva that quickly hardens in the air. Stove from South America They make huge spherical nests out of clay on the roots of mangrove trees. Some birds - shore swallows, kingfishers, bee-eaters - dig holes in cliffs with soft soil with a nesting chamber at the end of the passage.

Some of the weed chickens do not hatch their eggs, but bury them in the ground or a pile of humus, where they develop due to the heat of the sun or the heat generated by rotting plants. The nest functions as an incubator for 6-9 months. Some species of weed chickens that live in areas of active volcanoes bury their eggs in the warm soil on their slopes.In many hornbills, after the female lays eggs, the male closes the hole in the hollow with the nest with clay, leaving only a narrow gap through which the “captive”’s beak passes. The female incubates the eggs and continues to remain in the hollow for several weeks after the chicks hatch.

The vast majority of bird species have developed nesting conservatism: after successful nesting, the birds return to their nesting site the next year, either restore their old nest or build a new one somewhere nearby.

The nests of birds that settle in burrows are usually located deep in the ground, so getting to know their eggs and chicks is difficult. Under no circumstances should you attempt to dig a hole. Such attempts usually lead to eggs and chicks being buried under collapsed ground. It is important to be able to distinguish a non-residential hole from a residential one, which is determined by freshly crumbled earth and characteristic traces - “paths” formed from the constant passage of the bird through the hole. In general, our burrowing birds are few in number. Some of them are distributed only in the southern half of the country and penetrate into the middle latitudes in small quantities.

Shore swallow

Nests in colonies in cliffs near water. The hole is dug out by the birds themselves. Some colonies have hundreds of burrows. The nest is placed at the end of the hole, at a distance of 0.6-1 meter from the entrance. The hole diameter is 40-60 millimeters. Nest lining made of feathers and blades of grass. There are 4-6 white eggs in a clutch. The hatched chicks have down on their heads, backs and shoulders. The oral cavity is yellow. Fledglings are brown with white undersides and look like their parents. A visit to the colony makes the swallows very excited. Emitting a sharp “tsri”, they curl around their holes, showing either the brown (upper) or white (lower) side of the body.

European bee-eater

Nests can only be found south of Moscow. Colonial nesting is typical. In the southern regions, dozens of pairs nest together, in the more northern regions - several pairs. The burrow is dug by the birds themselves, most often in a steep bank of a river or ravine. The diameter of the inlet is 50-80 millimeters. The stroke length is 1 - 1.5 meters, there is no nesting lining. The clutch contains 5-8 white spherical eggs. The egg is about 25 millimeters long. The chicks are initially naked, then quickly become covered with stumps of growing feathers, which do not open for a long time. The observed difference in the ages of the chicks is explained by the non-simultaneity of their hatching, due to the fact that incubation begins before the end of egg laying. Bee-eaters stay cautiously near nests and rarely fly close. They usually hover high in the air and emit deep calling calls “fru-fru”. These birds are amazingly beautiful in color and graceful in body shape. Their underside is greenish-blue, the throat is yellow, the top is golden-brown, and the beak is long and slightly curved.

Common kingfisher

It nests in separate pairs in cliffs near the river, sometimes on a steep roadside or in a ravine, usually not far from the water, but sometimes at a distance of several hundred meters. The burrow is dug out by the birds themselves and can be occupied from year to year. The entrance hole, 50-60 meters wide, is often hidden by bush branches, but sometimes clearly visible. Stroke depth 0.5-1 meter. There is no nesting litter, except for scattered pellets made from fish bones. The clutch contains 4-8 white spherical eggs. The chicks hatch naked. The stumps of growing feathers do not open for a long time. Adult birds are rarely seen. They quickly fly along the river, emitting a high, piercing cry “piik...”. Their plumage is extremely bright, sparkling in the sun with blue, green and red tones. The massive long beak attracts attention.

In addition to the birds mentioned above, some species that nest in more northern latitudes in hollows, among stones or in human buildings also settle in burrows, mainly on the cliffs of steppe ravines. This roller, little owl, starling, wheatear, both types sparrows.

Everyone knows that swifts and swallows live in burrows on the banks of cliffs. We know these birds well, but few people know that kingfishers and rollers still live in earthen burrows. It is these birds that are discussed in the article.

Kingfishers, like many of their relatives, dig burrows ranging from 30 cm to a meter deep. There is such a terrible mess in their houses, which can only be rivaled by the roller mink; the remains of food and droppings, fish bones and scales are scattered in the mink. kingfisher bird Loyal to her mate and the place where she was born and raised, kingfishers always return to their old burrow after a long winter separation, rarely building new ones. They seem to believe that the meeting place cannot be changed, and their meeting place is an old hole.

Every year a layer of new waste appears in the kingfisher’s nest, and if swallows and swifts In the spring they always clean out their nest, throwing out all the remnants of food and even an old bed of twigs; kingfishers never do this. Therefore, after the kingfisher returns home, the parents try to swim quickly.

The kingfisher first feeds its chicks with small ones and only then with fish. Kingfishers fly quickly and low, clicking loudly as they fly. This bird was nicknamed kingfisher because that she flies late to hot countries, and some extreme sports enthusiasts even stay at home to survive our cold winters.

What kind of bird, like a kingfisher, has a terrible mess in its house?

The roller bird, its house is also located, which is built by the female. She drills a hole in the wall of the ravine with her beak, and the male scoops out the earth behind her with his paws. True, a brand new roller nest is still nothing, you can live in it, but when the chicks appear, a mess is created in the hole - droppings, scraps, and a carpet of insect armor, bones, and scales appears on the floor.

Despite all his untidiness, roller birds very beautiful: the plumage of the head is bright blue, the body is brown, and the wings and tail are tricolor. True, you don’t need to think that all birds living in minks are lazy and don’t want to tidy up their nest, it’s just that rollers and kingfishers are so voracious that they spend all their time getting food, and the disgusting smell from the mink-nest scares them away.

what bird builds its nest from fish bones? and got the best answer

Answer from sunshine[expert]
Kingfisher.
Kingfishers are the smallest representatives of the clan of feathered fishermen. Small fish form the basis of their diet, supplemented by aquatic insects, tadpoles and frogs. The fishing method chosen by kingfishers, like fishing with a fishing rod and float, requires silence and patience. The fisherman sits on a branch just above the water and waits for the fish to swim up. Then a lightning-fast throw follows, a fountain of spray rises - and with the next prey the bird hurries to the hungry chicks. The kingfisher hunts mainly in shallow water, and its victims are small minnows, minnows and even bee-eaters no larger than six to seven centimeters in size. Sometimes the kingfisher gets bored of sitting for a long time, and in order to warm up, he begins to look for fish in the summer, hovering over the water in a trembling flight in one place or another: exactly as terns usually do. To feed their offspring, kingfishers must catch about forty fish per day, that is, six to seven fish per chick. The fishing skill of these birds can be judged by the fact that one of the parents easily fulfills this requirement.

Answer from Tomikst[guru]
The bedding of the kingfisher's nest is very original: it consists of fish scales and small bones - parts of the kingfisher's pellets.
Features of masonry.
A clutch of 5-9 relatively large, round white eggs with a shiny shell. Egg dimensions: (21-24) x (17-18) mm.
Kingfisher nesting sites
The banks of predominantly forest rivers, streams, as well as lakes and ponds with steep sandy-clayey banks in which the bird digs nesting holes. The kingfisher avoids bare shores: it needs coastal bushes, large stones, and reeds from which to look for small fish in the water.
Nest location. Nests in burrows.
Shape and dimensions of the nest.
The kingfisher's burrow is horizontal, sometimes rising slightly towards the nesting chamber located at the end. Burrows come in different lengths - from 300 to 1000 mm. The earth passage has a diameter of 40-60 mm. The entrance hole is covered with branches of trees, bushes, overhanging roots, layers of turf or tufts of grass descending from above. Dimensions of the nesting chamber: length 120-230 mm, width 110-200 mm, height 90-140 mm. Like all burrowers, the kingfisher does not build a real nest. In a freshly dug hole, in the first year, the eggs lie on the ground or on a thin mat of dry herbaceous plants. In an old hole, they lie in a depression formed in the litter from crushed food debris. During the period of incubation of eggs and feeding of chicks, a thick layer of mixed and crushed small fish bones, scales, beetle elytra and chick excrement accumulates in the nest. Kingfisher burrows are very dirty, infested with fly larvae and emit a stench from decaying small fish.
Nesting dates.
Arrives in the second half of April - early May. A full clutch is observed in the middle or second half of May. In the first half of June, the chicks hatch, and at the end of this month or in the first half of July they fly out of the nest. However, the nesting season for kingfishers is very extended: you can simultaneously see nests with eggs, with fledgling chicks, as well as well-flying young birds. Departure takes place relatively early, at the end of September.
Spreading.
Distributed in the southern part of the forest and steppe zones from the western borders of Russia to the Southern Kuril Islands.
Wintering.
It winters in the south where there are rivers that do not freeze during the winter. For example, in the North Caucasus, kingfishers stay all year round. In Turkmenistan they are found in winter along Murghab and in the Pendinsky oasis.

Answer from Lord of the Seas[active]

The common kingfisher (lat. Alcedo atthis) is a small bird of the kingfisher family (Alcedinidae), slightly larger than a sparrow. Wing length 7-8 cm, weight 25-45 grams. It has bright plumage, shiny, bluish-green above, with small light specks on the head and wings, rusty-red below, a stripe through the eye to the back of the head and a light throat. The head is large, the beak is long and straight, the wings and tail are short. The male and female are the same in color, but the males are slightly larger and brighter. It moves only with the help of its wings, since its legs are short and not intended for long-term movement. The plumage of the kingfisher is dull up close; its brightness is achieved due to the refraction of light by feathers. Kingfishers love solitude, and seeing them is rare. Life expectancy is approximately 15 years.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrates
Class: Birds
Subclass: New palates
Order: Coraciiformes
Family: Kingfishers
Genus: Kingfishers
Species: Common kingfisher
Latin name
Alcedo atthis (Linnaeus, 1758)