nest building
Creating a home
Nest building is the instinctive behavior of constructing a shelter for eggs, young, or habitation, practiced by birds, insects, rodents, and other animals.
The term encompasses both the activity itself and the skill set involved, which varies dramatically across species—from the elaborate woven structures of weaver birds to the simple scrapes of ground-nesting plovers.
In behavioral biology, nest building serves as a key example of innate versus learned behavior.
The documentary captured remarkable footage of nest building among bowerbirds.
- gatherBring or come together
- stickThin piece of wood
- weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- nestingMaking a dwelling
tree branch · twig · incubation · egg laying · parental care · moss · baby birds · spider silk · thermal insulation · bower · camouflage · safe haven · plumage · mud · saliva · cup · lining · territoriality
- animal behaviorsswimming, running, walking, jumping, flying
- brood careincubation, brooding, parental care, maternal care, hatching
- spring awakeningfirst bloom, leaf out, green up, greening, emergence
- nesting behaviorsegg laying, brooding, incubation, site selection
- mating traitssexual selection, courtship, plumage, antlers, ornamentation
- reproductionreproduction, birth, baby, egg, sperm
nest buildingmigration
Movement to new territory
seasonal migration · dispersal · nomadism · fledging · roaming
nest buildingmigration
Movement to new territory
wandering · vagrancy · roving · transience · perpetual motion