Nest

A nest is a structure or site used by an animal for laying eggs, incubating them, or raising young. Nests range from excavated burrows and woven cups to unmodified sites such as ledges.

Nest building: Animal behavior that creates or modifies a structure for eggs or young. Materials and construction methods determine a nest’s shelter and stability.
Egg: An organic vessel in which an embryo develops outside the mother’s body or before birth. Eggs are the contents nests most commonly protect and incubate.
Nest monitoring: The systematic observation of nests to record their use, contents, or outcomes. Monitoring measures breeding success and can detect changes in animal populations.
Bowerbird bower: A courtship structure built by male bowerbirds from arranged sticks and decorative objects. Unlike a brood nest, a bower attracts mates and does not hold eggs.
Incubation: The process of maintaining developing eggs under conditions needed for embryo development. Many nests retain heat or provide a setting where adults can warm eggs.
Parental investment: Resources or effort parents devote to offspring at a cost to other reproductive opportunities. Nest building and defense are forms of investment in offspring survival.
Nest box: An artificial enclosure designed to provide a nesting or roosting site for animals. Nest boxes can supplement scarce cavities and support conservation studies.
Weaverbird nest: A suspended, often woven nest built by weaverbirds from plant fibers. Its intricate construction illustrates how nest form can depend on specialized behavior.
Brood care: Parental behaviors that protect, feed, or otherwise support offspring after hatching or birth. Nests often provide the setting for feeding and guarding young.
Animal architecture: Structures built or modified by animals through behavior. Nests are one major form of animal-built structure.

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