nest
Sign in to saveA nest is a structure built by certain animals to hold their eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves, or may be a simple depression in the ground, or a hole in a rock, tree, or building. Human-made materials, such as string, plastic, cloth, or paper, may also be used. Nests can be found in all types of habitat.
AI overview
A nest is a structure that animals build to hold their eggs or young, made from materials like twigs, grass, leaves, or sometimes human-made items such as string and plastic. While people often think of bird nests, many other animals including other vertebrates and some invertebrates also build nests, which can range from simple ground depressions to holes in trees or buildings and are found in nearly every type of habitat.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
23 sectionsContents
- Nest building
- Purposes of nesting
- Structural purposes
- Social purposes
- Usage of environment
- Sculpting
- Assembly
- Building materials
- Effects on environment
- Lasting effects
- Nest builders
- Birds
- Mammals
- Amphibians
- Fish
- Reptiles
- Dinosaurs
- Insects
- Effects on other species
- Names of nests
- See also
- References
- External links
A nest is a structure built by certain animals to hold their eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves, or may be a simple depression in the ground, or a hole in a rock, tree, or building. Human-made materials, such as string, plastic, cloth, or paper, may also be used. Nests can be found in all types of habitat.
Nest building is driven by a biological urge known as the nesting instinct in birds and mammals. Generally each species has a distinctive style of nest. Nest complexity is roughly correlated with the level of parental care by adults. Nest building is considered a key adaptive advantage among birds, and they exhibit the most variation in their nests ranging from simple holes in the ground to elaborate communal nests hosting hundreds of individuals. Nests of prairie dogs and several social insects can host millions of individuals.