BIRDS NESTS

SWIFTLETS

The Swiftlets of South East Asia do not hunt for nesting material at all. They use their own sticky saliva to weave a neat cradle. The nests are then fixed on to a wall.

A Swiftlet

KINGFISHERS

Kingfishers dig their nests in the mud banks along lakes and rivers. They loosen the mud to form a ledge. Perched on the ledge, they dig rapidly to form a tunnel, 1/2 m- 1m. deep their eggs are laid on the floor of this tunnel.

A Kingfisher

BIRD"S NEST

            There is a furious activity in the bird world just before the mating season. Birds get busy building their nests and some are very unusual nests indeed!

WOODPECKERS

Wood peckers use their strong bills to bore a deep hole in the tree-trunks. At the end of the little tunnel is a chamber. Here, on a soft layer of wood dust, the woodpecker lays her eggs.

A Woodpecker

HORNBILLS

Hornbills lay thir eggs in the hollow of a tree-trunk. As the female settles down to hatch her eggs, the male helps her to block the entrance with mud and saliva. Now the female and her eggs are safe. Only a narrow slit remains through which the male feeds his family!

A Hornbill

TAILOR BIRDS

The industrious little tailor bird sews his own nest. Holes are punched along the edges of two overlapping leaves. Strands of fibre are drawn through the holes and knotted at each end to hold the leaves together and behold, a little pouch is ready. The inside is lined with soft cotton or reeds.

A Tailor Bird