The Best Nest

BirdNote ^® 
The Best Nest 
Written by Wenfei Tong

This is BirdNote.

For some birds, having the best nest is a key part of attracting a mate. Males of many weaverbird species construct a series of intricately woven nests with which to lure a prospective partner. If a female is dissatisfied with it, though, she doesn’t just move on — she tears the nest apart, as if to show her disdain.

         [Southern Masked Weaver]

A male Red-winged Blackbird can even attract multiple mates if he controls prime breeding territory where nests can be built over the water, making them less accessible to predators like racoons. 

         [Red-winged Blackbird]

Adélie Penguins construct their nests on mounds of stones, which help guard against flooding, and partners often exchange stone gifts during the course of construction. Unfortunately, stones can be in short supply, which leads to skirmishes within the nesting colony, as stones are stolen and fiercely guarded. No stone, one might say, left unturned.

         [Adelie Penguin]

For BirdNote, I’m Wenfei Tong.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Southern Masked Weaver [ML279961] by P Boesman, Red-winged Blackbird  [ML211268521] by S. Pattee, Adelie Penguin [ML51695] by P Coopmans.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2021 BirdNote   March 2021/August 2023/February 2026    
Narrator: Wenfei Tong

ID#   nest-11-2021-3-12        nest-11