Bird Nests and Construction BehaviourBird Nests and Construction Behaviour provides a broad view of our understanding of the biology of the nests, bowers and tools made by birds. It illustrates how, among vertebrates, the building abilities of birds are more impressive and consistent than for any other builders other than ourselves, yet birds seem to require no special equipment, and use quite uncomplicated behaviour. In doing so, the book raises general issues in the field of behavioural ecology including the costs of reproduction, sexual selection and the organisation and complexity of behaviour. Written for students and researchers of animal behaviour, behavioural ecology and ornithology, it will nevertheless make fascinating reading for architects and engineers interested in understanding how structures are created by animals. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 5 | |
14 Building behaviour changes habitats | 8 |
15 Exploitation of the resources by others | 10 |
17 The builders | 12 |
18 Are there shared characters among builders? | 14 |
b No specialist anatomy | 16 |
e Silk | 112 |
f Grass | 114 |
g Sticks | 116 |
h Design and convergence | 118 |
55 The nest lining | 119 |
a The presence number and type of lining materials | 121 |
b The function of linings | 122 |
The cost of nest building | 125 |
19 Chapter by chapter | 20 |
110 The taxonomic convention | 22 |
The clutchnest relationship | 23 |
23 Why do birds lay eggs? | 27 |
24 Do chicks need nests? | 28 |
25 Clutch size | 31 |
26 The nest and clutch size | 35 |
Standardising the nest description | 39 |
32 Nest identification morphometrics and type | 41 |
b Nest weight and dimensions | 42 |
c Nest shape | 43 |
e Nest attachment | 43 |
33 The four nest zones | 47 |
34 The materials | 49 |
a Inorganic materials | 50 |
c Plant lichen and fungal materials | 52 |
d Others | 54 |
35 Additional information | 55 |
b Adults and young | 56 |
d Special features and comments | 57 |
Construction | 58 |
42 Types of construction method | 60 |
43 Sculpting | 61 |
44 Moulding | 62 |
45 Piling up | 65 |
46 Sticking together | 68 |
47 Interlocking | 69 |
b Stitches and poprivets | 71 |
c Velcro | 72 |
48 Weaving | 78 |
49 How difficult is nest building? | 82 |
410 Tool use and tool making | 87 |
The functional architecture of the nest | 91 |
52 The outer nest layer | 93 |
c Snake skin | 99 |
d Heads and tails | 101 |
53 Nest attachment | 103 |
b Attachment type and nest support diameter | 103 |
54 The structural nest layer | 108 |
a Nest weight and nest design in relation to bird weight | 109 |
b Number of materials in the structural layer | 110 |
c Associations of materials | 111 |
62 Calculation of energetic costs | 127 |
63 Gathering journeys and building time | 128 |
64 Measurement of building costs as clutch reduction | 130 |
65 Other evidence of nest building cost | 131 |
66 Taking over the nest of another bird | 134 |
67 The consequences of nest reuse | 137 |
68 Indicators of the cost of nest reuse | 138 |
69 The response of nest reusers to bloodfeeding ectoparasites | 141 |
The selection of a nest site | 146 |
72 The availability of nest material | 147 |
73 The influence of physical factors | 150 |
74 The influence of predators | 152 |
75 Predation rates | 159 |
76 Coloniality and nest defence | 161 |
77 Sites exploiting the nest defence of other birds | 163 |
78 Nest sites associated with arthropods | 166 |
a Caterpillars and spiders | 167 |
b Social insects | 169 |
79 Birds and termites | 170 |
710 Birds and ants | 171 |
711 Birds and bees | 175 |
Bowers building quality and mate assessment | 180 |
82 Sexual selection | 181 |
83 Nest building and sexual selection | 183 |
84 Court displays and male quality | 185 |
85 Bowers and mate assessment | 189 |
c The avenue builders | 193 |
d Functional design and bower evolution | 199 |
86 Bowers and sexual selection theory | 204 |
87 Beautiful bowers? | 206 |
The evolution of nest building | 211 |
92 Innovations of design and of technology | 216 |
93 Taxonomic characters from nests | 218 |
94 Variability and conservatism | 220 |
95 Weaver birds and the ecology of nest evolution | 223 |
96 The Tyrannidae and the flexibility of building behaviour | 225 |
References | 231 |
Author index | 259 |
General index | 263 |
| 267 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Adapted altricial Amblyornis animal appear architecture arthropod association attachment materials barn swallow beak bird nests bird species bird weight Borgia bower branches breeding brood builders building behaviour burrow cavity nesting chicks cliff swallow clutch Collias & Collias colonies Corvidae cost of nest cup nests decoration diameter display domed nests eggs evidence example excavators feathers Figure fledging flycatcher Fringillidae Furnariidae genera grass stems habitats Hansell Hirundinidae hummingbird hypothesis incubation leaf lichen long-tailed tit male mammals Martin maypole Møller mounds nest attachment nest building nest cavity nest construction nest cup nest defence nest design nest material nest predation nest sites nest survey nest weight nesters parasitism parental Passeridae passerine phylogeny plant materials reproductive satin bowerbird sexual selection silk Skutch specialised spider cocoon spotted bowerbird sticks structural layer Sylviidae technique termite Thamnophilidae tree twigs Tyrannidae vegetation velcro village weaver Vireonidae wasps weaver