Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Conservation of Declining Populations02:07

Conservation of Declining Populations

9.7K
Conservation of declining population focuses on ways of detecting, diagnosing, and halting a population decline. The approach uses methods to prevent populations from going extinct.
9.7K
Habitat Fragmentation02:31

Habitat Fragmentation

17.7K
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
17.7K
Design Example: Sustainability in Concrete Building01:26

Design Example: Sustainability in Concrete Building

198
As the construction industry moves towards more eco-friendly practices, concrete's adaptability and its ability to incorporate sustainable features make it a key material in the drive towards greener building solutions.
There are multiple approaches to achieve sustainability in a commercial concrete building. For instance, construct a concrete parking area under the building, utilizing pervious concrete paver blocks in open areas to facilitate rainwater collection through an underground...
198
Biodiversity and Human Values01:24

Biodiversity and Human Values

13.2K
Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
13.2K
Vision01:24

Vision

53.6K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
53.6K
Ecological Succession02:17

Ecological Succession

17.3K
Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
17.3K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Nest building as a missing piece in biparental care.

Biology letters·2026
Same author

The role of personal reproductive experience on nest building in a wild bird.

Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology·2026
Same author

Dynamic strategic social learning in nest-building zebra finches and its generalizability.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Applying movement ecology models to comparative cognition experiments: a field test in hummingbirds.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025
Same author

Demonstrating the reproductive consequences of cognition: learning from experience.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2025
Same author

Nest building and circulating testosterone dynamics in male zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata.

General and comparative endocrinology·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice
06:12

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice

Published on: December 24, 2013

26.9K

Bird nest building: visions for the future.

Susan D Healy1, Maria Cristina Tello-Ramos1, Marie Hébert1

  • 1School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|July 10, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Bird nest diversity is shaped by microhabitat, life history, and behavior. Future research will focus on the building process itself, integrating evolutionary, functional, developmental, and mechanistic explanations for nest design.

Keywords:
brainbuildingdevelopmentevolutionhormonesnest

More Related Videos

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice
06:11

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Published on: October 19, 2019

20.0K
A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo
07:39

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

Published on: July 22, 2018

7.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice
06:12

Nest Building as an Indicator of Health and Welfare in Laboratory Mice

Published on: December 24, 2013

26.9K
Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice
06:11

Nest Building Behavior as an Early Indicator of Behavioral Deficits in Mice

Published on: October 19, 2019

20.0K
A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo
07:39

A Video Surveillance System to Monitor Breeding Colonies of Common Terns Sterna Hirundo

Published on: July 22, 2018

7.7K

Area of Science:

  • Avian ecology
  • Evolutionary biology
  • Animal behavior

Background:

  • Nest building is crucial for avian reproduction, with significant diversity across ~10,000 bird species.
  • Nest design is influenced by species-specific microhabitats, life histories, and behaviors.
  • Understanding nest diversity drivers is a key research priority, supported by museum collections and field/lab data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the evolutionary ecology of bird nests.
  • To investigate the key drivers of nest diversity across avian species.
  • To highlight the shift towards studying the mechanisms of nest building.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analyses of nest traits.
  • Correlational field and experimental laboratory data.
  • Integration of Tinbergen's four levels of explanation (evolution, function, development, mechanism).

Main Results:

  • Nest diversity is critically dependent on microhabitat, life history, and behavior.
  • Phylogenetic analyses are illuminating the evolution of nest morphology.
  • The study of nest building mechanisms (behavior, hormones, neuroscience) is emerging as a major challenge.

Conclusions:

  • A holistic approach integrating evolution, function, development, and mechanism is needed to explain nest design variation and convergence.
  • Understanding how birds build 'good' nests requires studying the building process itself.
  • This research contributes to the broader understanding of the evolutionary ecology of nests.