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Person Reviews The Incredibly Different Bird Nesting Styles With Ridiculous Commentary (19 Pics)
Science writer Ferris Jabr has just done a great public service. Not only did Jabr educate Twitter users about the nesting styles of different birds, but he also did it in an amusing way that will resonate even with those who failed their biology classes.
Jabr's eggcellent 'reviews' take a critical and hilarious look at the idiosyncratic minds behind these splendid bird nests, and they immediately went viral. Internet commenters are applauding his witty style and are already asking him to expand the series, including other wildlife. Let's hope he does.
More info: Twitter
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#1
Hummingbird
MidnightFury 5 years ago
THAT'S SO PERFECTTT!!!!!!!!!!!! And imagine how well-camouflaged it is from below! It would just look like a clump of that green stuff that grows on trees, but inside it's so soft and cozy!
Fireflower 5 years ago
...that looks a tad too small to house three growing chicks and a momma
Just JoLynn 5 years ago
I've had hummingbird nests in my garden and they're usually about 2cm in diameter.
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logical fallacy 5 years ago
Does anyone know what that fluffy substance in the nest is? It looks so comfy. Not to mention it's literally wallpapered with clovers.
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
aww! so small! that is about 2 times the size of the nail on your pointer finger. and 100/100 i would sleep there if i was a bird
Catlady6000 5 years ago
What's really amazing is that the photographer even found I. Hummingbird nests are as small or smaller than the top of a human thumb
According to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, over 700 bird species breed in North America and as you can see from Jabr's reviews, the variations in their behaviors are as fascinating as they're complex. From finding mates and building nests to laying eggs and raising their young, different species are doing everything in incredibly different ways.
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#2
American Robin
MidnightFury 5 years ago (edited)
Aw that looks so cozy and well-hidden! And I didn't know robin eggs are blue, aw haha
Valerie G. 5 years ago
That is why there is an actual color called "robin's egg blue"
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Bird nests come in many shapes and forms. "Some birds (e.g., robins) build cup-shaped nests of sticks, lined with soft grass, in branches of trees," Dawn Hewitt, the editor for Bird Watcher’s Digest, told Bored Panda. "Some birds (plovers) scrape a shallow depression in the sand or soil, and that's all there is to their nest. Some birds (orioles) weave tight, pendulous nests from plant fibers, nests that sway in the breeze as they dangle from branches—often from two adjacent trees!"
If you look closely, you can find nests almost anywhere – on the ground, in trees, in burrows, on the sides of cliffs, in and on human-made structures, and so on.
#3
Pigeon
Katinka Min 5 years ago
I often feel sorryy fo pigeons. Originally bred for human use, tossed out when they are too slow or don't find their way back home, trying to survive in the wild, always breeding, always starving.
k1ddkanuck 5 years ago
But like, with a really great spirit and gusto. You have to remember: a pigeon has greater muscle mass than a lion, and is faster than a cheetah. Also, they mate for life, and will do everything their little birdy bodies can to get home. They also have an electromagnetic homing system in their brains, which is basically magic. I love pigeons. They are awesome.
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Michelle C 5 years ago
Pigeons are so hardcore and hood that the concrete jungle is the only shelter their eggs need
desert29rat 5 years ago
The doves in my yard build nests like this. A few sticks and they're done.
Aragorn II Elessar 5 years ago
Fun fact: Pigeons are one of the few birds that produce milk for their young
Carroll Cadden 5 years ago
I feel sort of sad about that setup, since I see disaster for this lonely egg on the horizon. :-(
"Nests aren't bedrooms, but nurseries," Hewitt highlighted." Nests are where eggs are laid and incubated. And that's all that birds have in common when it comes to nesting."
Indeed, the total number of eggs that a female can lay in one nesting attempt also varies widely depending on the species. For instance, many tropical birds lay clutches of only 2 or 3 eggs but wood ducks can lay up to 15 eggs in one nesting attempt. Clutch size can also vary widely among individuals of the same species depending on much food and calcium they gather, the age of the female, weather, and other factors.
#4
White Tern
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
what i say: the sticks are... amazing! um, dont give up? what i think: oh come on. you are better than that. just add sticks and mud and tada!
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
also he looks like a judge when ya show them your work. or a teacher ( no offense teachers)
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Ginny Swart 5 years ago
Just look at that expression- you dont like my nest? Tough luck. Go and build yourself a better one!
Times only get tougher when the eggs finally hatch -- the increased activity in the nest and begging cries of the little ones attract predators. "Predators are the biggest problem for young birds," Hewitt said. "Hatchlings can't fly, so they're easy targets, especially when the parents are temporarily inattentive (off bringing food, or removing fecal sacs)."
Hewitt added that most (but not all) young birds spend some time on the ground before they can fly (or fly well), and that makes them especially easy targets.
"But freezing temperatures, such as we've had for the past few days where I live in southeastern Ohio, can be a huge problem for nesting birds. Almost all songbirds feed their young insects, and when it's unusually frigid during nesting season, flying insects go dormant, and are hard to find. Nestlings can freeze or starve in cold weather."
The first year is the always toughest; in almost all bird species, more than half of the baby birds perish during the first year.
#5
Sociable Weaver
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
they actually try very hard to do this. one group nest is about 1000 times bigger that just one birb.
#6
Common Tailorbird
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
ooh! thats so cool! oh i need him. i love nature and ma jackets rippen.
#7
Duck
Martha Meyer 5 years ago
Ducks and magpies are known for picking the most stupid spots for their nests.
#8
Vogelkop Bowerbird
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
That is really awesome! I looked this bird up online and the male decorates his "bower" with flowers to impress the female into mating. Female birds will mate with the male who has the best design. Definitely the artist of the bird world!
CatWoman312 5 years ago
I’ve heard of these birds. The males build the nests and try to make it pretty to attract female birds. The funny part is the second the female bird is like cool house the male bird tries to mount her. Kind of like human males lmao
#9
Potoo
Saara-Elina Kaukiainen 5 years ago
You are not qualified to question the ways of the great potoo.
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SuperCooper 5 years ago
They sound like an acne-riddled teen boy shouting at his mother for turning off the WiFi. Don't believe me? Google it
#10
Toucan
Rosie Hamilton 5 years ago
I still don't get it - is it specific to a particular country?
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Khloe Ness 5 years ago
h im SAM. im a TOOCAN. YA LIKE TOOCANNSSSSSSS? DO YA?? WANNA PLAY HIDE AND SEEK? YOU'LL NEVER FIND ME. NEVER I SAY
#11
Penduline Tit
#12
Coot
MidnightFury 5 years ago
Haha lol... it reminds me of the Neverbird. The nest even looks a bit like a hat, too...
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
oh here is some garbage. i will make my nest out of this. IT WILL DEFINITLY FLOAT.
#13
Hammerkop
Brenda Roach 5 years ago
Thanks for the info. It still looks kinda big. lol
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Penguin
#15
Emu
mntryjoseph 5 years ago
These are the silliest birds! When I was stationed in Western Australia, the Northwest Cape, there were several of these birds on the base. I was a Mess Specialist, in the morning I would deliver rolls and doughnuts to the snack bar across from the galley. When the birds were near by, they would start walking towards me and follow me all the way to the snack bar! They would eat food out of your hand.
Hello Dolly 5 years ago
My ex’s neighbor had an emu that thing was the devil. Most evil middle I’ve ever met. It would try to beat you down for just walking into the driveway. Thankfully it never got through the fence.
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
so indecisive *rolls eyes* emu: WHAT DID YOU SAY?! IM NOT INDECISEVE YOUR INDECISIVE BLA BLA BLA BLA me: my goodness *walks away emu: WHERE ARE YOU IM NOT DONNE TALKING!
#16
Killdeer
MidnightFury 5 years ago
What if someone steps on them? And animals can use smell to track down the eggs, can't they?
Jon S. 5 years ago
They run the risk. But they have a number of other defences. The parents can both attack and feign injury to draw away predators.
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Marion Martin 5 years ago
I was looking for THIS one. Actually this nest is much more organized than the one that I saw in large gravel under a picnic bench in an RV park!!!
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
ye just walk away from those rocks kids. *whispers* we call them rocks cause the mom birb calls them that, so dont even
#17
Megapode
Monty Is Fiennes 5 years ago
Or as we call them... the old Bush Turkey....they will do this to your garden...My husband and I once utilized them to clear a patch of scrub at the bottom of our property. It was rainforest style and we would scatter fruit throughout. They would come and scratch and dig and they cleared all the scrub out for us.... thanks you turkeys ;)
#18
Red Ovenbird
Chris Largent 5 years ago
Uses agave instead of sugar. Just kidding, you don't sweeten jalapeno corn bread.
#19
Kittiwake
Ivana Junas 5 years ago
It's eggs are much more conical than most bird eggs, so they roll in a circle instead of off the cliff.
Khloe Ness 5 years ago
YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME WALL? YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME?! SQUACK SQUACK SQUACK!
Sarah Stalder 5 years ago
Are these the ones who throw their kids off the cliff like 'fly'. I think it's something else but this reminds me of that. Baby has to leave the nest eventually
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What do you think ?
Ananeemoos Jak 5 years ago
It is. They are named after the sound that they make, and are also the only non-shoreline dweller of the sandpiper family
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Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
Coincidentally, a recently published study looked at why birds' nests are such remarkable feats of engineering. Summarized here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/science/why-birds-are-the-worlds-best-engineers.html
Roadkill The Brave 5 years ago
I will have to say most of these are awesome. It's neat to see other birds nests. I will say the Pigeon next isn't what they all look like. We get some pretty awesome pigeon nests where I'm at, in between the pigeon spikes to try to discourage from roosting on signs. Cracks me up every time I see it.
MellonCollie 5 years ago
I learned that Megopodes are absolutely fascinating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megapode
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
I didn't even know the megapode was real -- but I should have known better -- Terry Pratchett wove all sorts of true, interesting things into his stories.
Load More Replies... Ananeemoos Jak 5 years ago
It is. They are named after the sound that they make, and are also the only non-shoreline dweller of the sandpiper family
Load More Replies... Stannous Flouride 5 years ago
Coincidentally, a recently published study looked at why birds' nests are such remarkable feats of engineering. Summarized here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/science/why-birds-are-the-worlds-best-engineers.html
Roadkill The Brave 5 years ago
I will have to say most of these are awesome. It's neat to see other birds nests. I will say the Pigeon next isn't what they all look like. We get some pretty awesome pigeon nests where I'm at, in between the pigeon spikes to try to discourage from roosting on signs. Cracks me up every time I see it.
MellonCollie 5 years ago
I learned that Megopodes are absolutely fascinating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megapode
Lynda Momalo 5 years ago
I didn't even know the megapode was real -- but I should have known better -- Terry Pratchett wove all sorts of true, interesting things into his stories.
Load More Replies... 
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