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A so-called "cathedral" mound produced by a termite colony. Structures built by non-human animals, often called animal architecture, [1] are common in many species. Examples of animal structures include termite mounds, ant hills, wasp and beehives, burrow complexes, beaver dams, elaborate nests of birds, and webs of spiders.
Other birds often built their own nests on top of Weaver nest sites. [4] Some birds build nests in trees, some (such as eagles, vultures, and many seabirds) will build them on rocky ledges, and others nest on the ground or in burrows. [3] Each species has a characteristic nest style, but few are particular about where they build their nests.
Deep cup nest of the great reed-warbler. A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American robin or Eurasian blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the Montezuma oropendola or the village weaver—that is too ...
Birds will try to stab rivals with their bills, and individuals are occasionally blinded in fights. [26] The nest is in a hole in a tree or wall, and has a narrow entrance. [24] It may be unlined, or various scraps may be collected. [19] The female alone is responsible for incubating the eggs.
The Cape sparrow usually breeds in loose colonies of 50–100 birds. 10 to 20 percent of the breeding birds in each population nest away from colonies, for unknown reasons. [20] The Cape sparrow is usually monogamous, but some records of a male and two females nesting and raising young in one nest have been made in Western Cape . [ 21 ]
Inspired by their seemingly extreme courtship rituals, Charles Darwin discussed both bowerbirds and birds-of-paradise in his writings. [27] In addition, many species of bowerbird are superb vocal mimics. MacGregor's bowerbird, for example, has been observed imitating pigs, waterfalls, and human chatter. Satin bowerbirds commonly mimic other ...
Nests are on average 3 km (1.8 mi) away from each other, but can be as close as 1 km (0.6 mi). [12] Plantation forests tend to have ongoing pest control for invasive mammals that threaten the stand, such as possums, hares, and sometimes rats, making these forests safer from nest predation than uncontrolled native forest.
The bird's average lifespan is thought to be 10 to 15 years in the wild and up to 19 years in captivity. [29] The oldest confirmed secretarybird in the wild was a 5-year-old that was banded as a nestling on 23 July 2011 in Bloemfontein and recovered 440 km (270 mi) away in Mpumalanga on 7 June 2016. [30]