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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

#1

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

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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.

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

Pigeon

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sheilachris80 avatar
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Katinka Min
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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k1ddkanuck
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pigeons are so hardcore and hood that the concrete jungle is the only shelter their eggs need

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MauKini
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is really sad. A health pigeon in a good enviorment would never bulid a nest like this.

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Lillukka
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Few sticks at first, by the end, its a pile of s**t on top of the two sticks, crawling with maggots. They once made a nest on our balcony.

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desert29rat
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The doves in my yard build nests like this. A few sticks and they're done.

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Carroll Cadden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel sort of sad about that setup, since I see disaster for this lonely egg on the horizon. :-(

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MadRatter
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My granddad always says that pigeons put a few sticks on top of each other and the parents then tell the chicks to sit still.

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Vesta Copestakes
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It looks like her environment has few natural objects and opportunities - she probably felt the egg coming and had to rush into the situation. Proper nesting requires time and materials. As most mothers know, we do our best and fall short more times than we would like. Rather sad for this girl!

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Amanda Hunter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How can there be so many of them when they're so bad at nesting!

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Roz Klaiman
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The first time I saw this was on my balcony in the dead of winter, then I was afraid to open the door lest I disturb the egg - which hatched into a gorgeous blue pigeon that actually lived, grew and fledged Pigeons make stupid nests but are wonderful parents.

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Jon S.
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've seen pigeons make nests like this out of used needles. Nothing quite says 'urban decay' like that

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Jack Chandra
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Flying rats. Yet I still feed a herd of 8 of them in my backyard.

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MidnightFury
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is kinda sad tbh... it could so easily get trampled by humans or other animals.

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Al Reilly
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes I call it Minimalistic but it comes with it's own egg!!

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sharron lynn parsons
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People complain about pigeons, because they poop, well, don;t we all !!!

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Debbie
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And sometimes the sticks are between the plastic pins stopping the pigeons from sitting on a windowsill - take that!

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Barn Owl
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a pet pigeon. He is a roller pigeon though, not a rock pigeon like this one.

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Tiffany Marie
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3 years ago

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Chris Watson
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They use twigs then cement them together with their droppings. Dirty, messy birds.

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Khloe Ness
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3 years ago

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umm, dont make fun of him/ her! some pigeons just arent smart. they are pigeons. BIRDS. they have smol brains

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Aragorn II Elessar
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Birds of prey are immensely intelligent as well. Falcons especially. And I dare say that some pigeons with their “smol brains” are more rational than some humans I could name

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"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."

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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.

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."

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The first year is the always toughest; in almost all bird species, more than half of the baby birds perish during the first year.

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#13

Hammerkop

Hammerkop

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Lyop
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Go big or go.....oh wait, that is home. Well, go big then!!

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#17

Megapode

Megapode

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Monty Is Fiennes
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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 ;)

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#19

Kittiwake

Kittiwake

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Ivana Junas
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's eggs are much more conical than most bird eggs, so they roll in a circle instead of off the cliff.

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