Nest Locations of Birds - Page 2

Ospreys and Bald Eagles nest in trees, but their large size prevents them from choosing sites hidden among the branches. Typical nest trees have broken tops that support the huge mass of sticks. They often use the nest sites year after year, with remodeling done each spring. An eagle nest, which can be several feet thick, can become too heavy for an old, dead tree to support. Such a tree eventually falls under the weight of the nest, and the birds must begin building a new one in a new site.

Many seabirds and some songbirds and birds of prey nest on cliffs, another location that will be safe from predators. The nest site, or aerie, of the Peregrine Falcon often has an overhanging roof above the nest ledge, affording protection from rain.

An energetic defense can be another way of keeping the nest safe from predators, provided the bird is strong or noisy enough. Most tern nests, while easy to reach in the open habitats near mainland beaches, deter most egg-seeking predators by their raucous cries and frantic diving of the parent birds. Large owls bring formidable weapons to the task of nest defense. Snowy Owls, for example, place their eggs in a depression on a tundra mound, where the female incubates them, exposed to the view of any predator. When a fox or a human comes too close, however, the male dives or flies directly at the intruder, bill clacking fiercely and talons held ready.

Some species, especially shorebirds such as the Killdeer, Lesser Golden-Plover, and Ruddy Turnstone, have an open nesting habitat accessible to predators, but rely on camouflage and distraction displays to protect their nests.