Humans used tools and fire a long time ago.
After that, tools and tableware were created for food; clothes were created to keep out the cold; "homes" were created for living in peace; and fields and livestock were raised in order to obtain regular food. Later, mobile tools such as cars were created to transport goods; words were created to convey their ideas; religion and art were created to make peace of mind, and even energy sources such as electricity were created...
In the diverse environment of the earth, for all kinds of animals, breeding and growing is the most important thing, so they instinctively build nests without teaching. When we understand the nest, we also understand life and the environment in which it lives. Isn't "building" a nest teaching us how to "survive"?
When you think of nests, you must first think of birds, and the gardener birds that inhabit Australia and New Guinea are considered to be the leaders in the bird architecture world, because they will build a kind of nest that builds a "pavilion".
In the area where gardener birds inhabit, there is a very brightly colored bird called the "Bird of Paradise" (wind bird), which dances a gorgeous dance to court the female.
The male bird of the Bird of Paradise, in order to make himself more conspicuous, will clean the forest floor and dance on it. However, this will not only attract the attention of female birds, but also easily allow predators such as eagles to find them, and the possibility of being attacked will be greatly increased.
Gardener birds have only females who nest and raise chicks. The male bird devotes himself to the beautification of the "pavilion" all year round. Male gardener birds will build a non-nest "pavilion" to court the female. If the female likes the "pavilion" built by the male, she will mate with it.
The male bird of the gardener bird may want to use the "pavilion" to represent himself and attract the attention of the female bird, which is a safer practice.
They built "pavilions" with ideas such as "wanting to build a nest", "wanting to feed the chicks", "wanting to court the female", "wanting the female to lay eggs and leave more offspring". Although they do not build real nests, they express their intention to breed offspring.
A "pavilion" built for courtship
This is a "pavilion" built by the yellow-breasted pavilion bird that inhabits New Guinea. They collect a large number of branches, form four curved walls, and fill them with red or blue fruits or stones.
The yellow-breasted pavilion bird is a gardener bird that builds "pavilions" for courtship. The male is yellow from the chest to the abdomen, and the female is slightly darker in color. The process of building a "pavilion" is to first make four walls out of branches, and then fill them with red and blue fruits or stones.
The "pavilion" is about 30 cm high and 40 cm wide.
The nest is about 14 cm in diameter and 8 cm high.
This is the nest built by the female. The female raises her children not in the "pavilion", but in the nest. They nest in places where leaves are hidden by trees such as bushes 1 to 3 meters above the ground.
There are many kinds of gardener birds, and different species will make different "pavilions".
Collectors who like to collect blue items
The "pavilion" built by the satin blue gardener bird is to stand the collected small branches on the ground, make two curved walls, and then place a variety of blue objects around it.
It is said that male birds with blue feathers collect a large number of blue items to attract females in order to show the female that they are healthy.
The satin blue gardener bird is a gardener bird that builds a "pavilion" for courtship. The male's whole body shines with a dark blue luster, the female's feathers are a little green, and the iris is bright blue. The female of the satin blue gardener bird, the iris of the eyes is blue.
The nest is about 8 cm high and about 16 cm in diameter.
The bowl-shaped bird's nest is set on a branch 3 to 20 meters above the ground.
"Pavilion" with raised base
The "pavilion" of the pale yellow-breasted pavilion bird, like the satin blue gardener bird, has two curved walls, but its "pavilion" base is very high. Because I live by the sea, in order not to let the "pavilion" be washed away by the sea at high tide, it takes a lot of work. The "pavilion" is also decorated with greenery.
The pale yellow-breasted pavilion bird is also a gardener bird that builds a "pavilion" for courtship. The upper plumage of the male is grey, the edges of the feathers are white and conspicuous, and the lower abdomen is pale orange. The female has the same plumage as the male and is slightly smaller. The "pavilion" built by the pale yellow-breasted pavilion bird is a curved wall built on a base made of branches and decorated with greenery.
Light yellow-breasted pavilion birds build "pavilions" in mangroves and other places by the sea.
In order not to be washed away by the water, the base should be deliberately raised.
Bowl-shaped bird's nest. It is built with lush foliage branches 1 to 2 meters above the ground.
"Pavilions" that are very similar to bird nests and eggs
The "pavilion" of the yellow-headed pavilion bird looks like the nest of the original lying flat bird standing up. In order to show the appearance of a bird's egg in the "pavilion", the male bird places a snail shell in it. This snail shell, even the grain is very similar to a bird's egg.
The yellow-headed pavilion bird is a gardener bird that builds a "pavilion" for courtship. The plumage of the male is black, yellow and orange, and the contrast is very strong. The female is plain gray-brown. The "pavilion" of the yellow-headed pavilion bird is woven with branches, just like the bird's nest is erected.
Compared with males, females have plain plumage.
A real bird egg is very similar to the pattern of a snail shell.
The nest is located in a leafy tree 1 to 10 meters above the ground.
The "pavilion" is like the shape of a bird's nest erected.
In the area where gardener birds inhabit, there are no predators, the climate is warm, and the food is abundant, so nesting and raising offspring can be done by the female birds alone.
However, male birds also have a "nesting and raising offspring" nature, and perhaps for this reason, they build "pavilions" that attract females.
Big "pavilion" like a tent
Before the brown gardener bird makes a "pavilion", the ground is cleaned, and then the stems of the plants are collected to form a hemispherical "building" with a roof, and various colors of fruits, insects, mosses, and leaves are placed at the entrance and exit.
Each color is stacked separately and neatly arranged, just like the goods on display in the store, which will make the female bird want to go inside and see.
The brown gardener bird is a gardener bird that builds a "pavilion" for courtship. The female and male are about the same color and are brown all over. Male birds are adept at imitating the chirping of other birds. The "pavilion" of the brown gardener bird is a huge hemispherical shape, in which colorful flowers, fruits and artefacts are arranged according to color.
The female is about the same color as the male.
Bowl-shaped bird's nest.
Nest on branches 1 to 2.5 meters above the ground.
Today we will briefly introduce the nests of 5 species of gardener birds, each with different characteristics. When we understand the nest, we also understand life and the environment in which it lives.
*The image of the article will have a slight color difference depending on the monitor.
The above content is based on Suzuki's work "Animal Home Is Super Fun!" Suzuki's 109 animal nests are revealed. Mori Suzuki is a famous Japanese zoologist, picture book writer, and illustrator who has loved observing animals since childhood, and has painted these animals on his sketchbooks for years to record. "Animal Home Is Super Fun: Suzuki Mori's 109 Animal Nests Revealed" is the author who traveled to all continents of the world for 20 years, searching, collecting, observing and studying all kinds of animal nests.
Japan's best-selling popular science writer VS Chinese Academy of Sciences and other 5 authoritative tutors take you through 109 kinds of animal intelligence!
109 species of animals competed for the title of the most interesting nest, each with the ability to take care of the family.
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Some homes are like elevators that rise and fall with the seasons.
Some animals only want to build nests, but inadvertently change the ecological environment.
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Color obsessive-compulsive disorder and obsessive-compulsive finishing disorder have spread to birds.
A few millimeters of insects can build a 10-meter tower.
In a variety of environments, a variety of animals do not need to be taught, and instinctively "build nests" to nurture new life. Only a small part of this book is covered, and there are countless animals that do not nest here.
I sincerely hope that all kinds of animals can have a living environment that can allow them to continue to reproduce.