7 Insane Bird Nests that Will Change How You Think About Birds

Bird Nests are truly amazing. Did you know there are estimated to be over 18,000 different bird species on Earth that make nests?. From teeny, adorable cups to massive compost mounds, the diversity of birds’ nests is definitely impressive. Join SciShow for a fleeting look into the amazing world of birds and the nests they call home! Hosted by Hank Green.

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[Dragonited]

You forgot to add Sociable Weaver birds. They can as a group build nests that weigh up to 2000 lbs and house up to 500 birds. Sometimes birds that aren't helping enough on the main structure and just fixes their own place get chased away and when they later return they are more cooperative and help out more on the main structure.

[christelheadington]

Grebes have water beds, how very 70's of them.

[omnirath]

One time I came across a crow's nest (60x50 cm) made from fur and bone of a nearby dead boar, gross but impressive

[BlackCat_]

I've actually seen a hummingbird nest and it was the cutest thing ever. :) 15 years or so later and I still think about it.

[jpe]

Hank you forgot the white noddy (Gygis alba) (aka white tern or fairy tern) which doesn’t bother to build any nest at all, it just lays its eggs balanced on a *thin, bare tree branch!* When the baby bird hatches it does so *very* carefully so it doesn’t fall off the branch, fortunately it hatches with very well developed feet to hold on to the branch.

[vaben]

I learned today killer whales sometimes eat moose because moose are apparently good swimmers and can dive for under water veggies. Let's see an episode about that pile of shenanigans!

[adriandatura]

*_dandelion fuzz_*
I really can't get over that

[Sausketo]

i found a humming birds nest made out of my yellow lab's hair once

[jasepoag]

* Looks at screen with a startled expression while lowering giraffe into a nest *

[Bronze_Age_Sea_Person]

I live in a region with horneros, or Joãos-de-Barro as they are called in Brazil.They build 2-chamber clay nests that look like small ovens on the energy poles in the city.They are quite nice but often give trouble to the electricity dept.I always found their nests amazing.

[smokefire]

thats a line I never thought to hear "don't drop giraffes in birds nests" thanks Hank! I was just about to do that exact thing! I will have to settle for a rhino instead.

[eidolor]

Gonna need an honorable mention for snow owls making nests out of corpses

[agentriodex]

“Hummingbirds are the sharks of the sky.”
Said one philosopher.

[Devo]

The Australian Brush Turkey does not work on the mound during winter. Work starts in late Spring, and the mound is abandoned as the weather cools in Autumn. Fierce competition for control of the mound (mating rights!) throughout the Summer, means a succession of males get to have his moment in the sun. And the young, when they hatch, dig their way out and are totally independent from day one! They can even fly (well, just enough to escape a predator!), as soon as their feathers are dry...

[falcoperegrinus]

Yall should make this a series, because there are so many more crazy fascinating nests.

[jancal]

Thought for sure bower birds would be on this list, for which the male finds enticing blue items. And more basic than piping plover “scratch” nests surely must be Emperor Penguins’ nests, which are basically dad’s feet, right?

[fantauzzz]

I hope incredible nests/homes becomes a series. Thatd be amazing

[otakuman]

Spotting eagle nests was one of my favorite things when
Some truly massive homes, and can very interesting to see, obviously more so when inhabited. If you have a chance to see one I recommend checking it out. From a distance of course.

[tako_shop]

I had a bird that made a nest in what seemed like an impossible spot and it lasted for years, until a new type of bird came and they started fighting for it. Now there is only one bird that came back this year and it’s been sleeping above the front door all alone and without a nest. It’s very sad.

[robertrosenthal]

When I was in Texas, a hummingbird nest was in the crook of a branch right over my parking space. The branch was long and spindly, but was more than enough for the nest. Three eggs were laid in it.
I never got to see them hatch as I was in the military and we had to go on 12 hours shifts for 7 days a week that lasted over 3 months before we got a day off. I couldn't see the nest in the dark, and was frankly too tired to even remember it.
It's too bad, I'd have enjoyed seeing little humming birds grow up.
One place I lived when I was a kid had a barn and some swallows built a nest in the loft. They were so used to people you could pet them. They kept coming back every year that I lived there, so it was something to look forward to.