Birds as Builders

One of the first things a young naturalist does in the field is to search for birds' nests. Indeed anyone interested in birds will study their nests and habitats. In this handsome book the author describes the varied kinds of nests and their construction: from simple nests of twigs to the complicated woven nests stitched by the tailor-bird. Illustrated throughout in color and black-and-white, we see the "traditional" cup-shaped nests of straw, mud nests, hanging nests, enclosed or domed nests, even the edible nests which produce the rare and expensive - but tasteless - birds' nest soup. "Birds as Builders" tells us how some birds build vast structures, many times their own weight, on the ground and how others nest in colonies, cooperative communities and even communes. Some species make nests but do not rear their young, others build no nest but raise their brood conscientiously, and still others neither build nests nor care for their eggs - the parasites, like the cuckoo, for instance, who rely on "host" birds to do the work. This book is filled with fascinating details as Peter Goodfellow answers all your questions about birds and their nests.