Mud Nest

Birds are excellent builders and is natural that they construct their nest using mud as a primary resource. Birds build their nest entirely out of mud or mix in other materials like grass, feathers etc. The most common birds that use mud to make a nest are members of the swallow family. Swallows and Martins all over the world build their hemispherical or retort shaped nests on the edges of cliffs, under the eaves of houses and under the modern bridges. The mud is collected in small pellets and moistened with saliva before being applied to the wall or existing nest.The nests are lined with grass and fetahers to make it comfortable and durable. These nests are generally found in colonies.

Black Naped Monarch Flycatcher Feeding

This is the video of a Black naped Monarch Flycatcher feeding it's chick.This Nest is located on a mango tree near Hirakud Reservoir.

Hanging Nest

Among all nests build by birds , the hanging nests are the most complex nest bulding , an admirable of bird architecture. In indian the hanging nests found are that of Baya weaver and sunbirds. It require great skill by a bird to build such type of nest.The main purpose of such types of nests are protection from predators and adverse climate. These nests generally hung from the tip of a branch or leaf, or suspended between twigs. They are globular or retort-shaped with a single entrance hole. A completed baya nest looks like an upside down flask with a downward tube like pointing entrance .The swollen portion of the nest is the main nesting area or egg chamber.The sunbird nest is build with cobwebs and caterpillar excreta hanging from a tip of a branch or twig.

Cup nest with roof

The cup shaped nest with roof are more advanced than the usual cup nest.They are generally rounded or elliptical in shape and appears like a ball with a side entrance.This type of nest offer more protection to the eggs and chicks than a simple cup nest.These nests are built with grasses, leaves, fibers, small sticks etc.The inner is covered with soft materials to provide more comfort. Birds like Red munia, scally breasted munia, rufous bellied babbler, white munia, rufous winged bushlark etc build this types of nest. The photo above shows the nest of rufous bellied babbler.The nest is found in the vicinity of river Mahanadi in Sambalpur, Orissa, India.

Cup Nest

Fig: Cup nest built by Asian Paradise Flycatcher

The cup shape nest is the 3rd inorder of simple to complex nest In my previous posts I have given information about first two type of nests.The cup shaped nest is more advanced than simple twig nest.This is the most typical form of nest and found in abundant as most flycatchers build this type of nest.The cup shape nest have a clear inside as well as an outside and the inside is lined with softer materials for more comfort.This type of nest also provide more protection for both the eggs and chicks.They are generally build at the forked branch of a tree i.e either "V" or "Y" shaped branch.These nests are build with leaves, grasses, finer twigs sticked together with cobwebs. Birds like Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Monarch Flycatcher, Faintail Flycatcher, Humming birds, Bulbul,Oriole, Drongo etc build cup shaped nest.

Nesting Behaviour of Birds: Simple nest

This post of mine is continuation of nesting behaviour of birds.Simple nests or twig nests are built using plant material mainly twigs and sticks.The twigs are gathered on tree branches to build a simple platform just to support the eggs. Some nests have a depression on the middle but generally they don't have any inner or outer side.The eggs can be seen through the nest from below.common example of simple nests are those build by pigeons,doves, herons,Gulls and Eagles.

Nesting Behaviour of Birds: No Nest

The most simple form of nest is no nest at all.Many birds donot build any nest.They either lay eggs directly on the bare ground or rock surface. Some make simple scrap on the ground to lay eggs. It is observed that birds who leaves the nest soon after hatching, generally build this type of nest or more accurately they don't need complex nest at all.Nightjars lay their two eggs directly onto the ground.Birds like Plovers, Pratincoles, Lapwings, Little tern make simple scrap to lay eggs. As the eggs are on open surface they generally camoufladge with their surrounding and there by protected from predators. The picture above is a Little ringed Plover Nest with egg on open ground near a river bank.