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- Bald eagles build one nest and use it for many years. Although the nests can weigh about 1 ton on average, the biggest one ever found was believed to weigh 2 tons!
- Gyrfalcons also reuse their nests, though they can reuse their nests for generations. One of the oldest ones found had been used by gyrfalcons for over 2,500 years!
- Some birds don’t build nests at all - they just use the homes left behind by other animals. For example, burrowing owls sometimes use abandoned prairie dog holes as nests.
- Possibly the most common type of bird nest is called the cup nest, because it is shaped like a cup. Cup nesters usually use rough materials for the outside and cozy materials for the inside. They also need to use sticky materials - like spiderwebs, mud, or even their own spit - to help “glue” the nest to the bush or tree branches so that it doesn’t fall out.
- Even though most people think of nests as being high up in the trees, many birds actually build their nests on the ground. These birds, including geese and swans, carve a small hole in the ground and then cover it with nesting materials.
