Nest Building

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Breeding pair of male (orange cheeks) and female zebra finches; Photo credit: Eira Ihalainen
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Picture showing nests constructed by male zebra finches (the builder in this species) in the laboratory using coloured material; Photo credit: Alexis Breen
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Bird nest construction team (left to right): Eira Ihalainen, Sue Healy, myself, Lauren Guillette & Sophie Edwards; Photo credit: Simone Meddle
How experience shapes avian nest construction

Like all animal architects, birds face a number of decisions when constructing their nests: for example, where to nest, which material to use, and what type of structure to build. While ~150 years of observational and experimental data show that experience plays a role in birds' nest building (read my review paper, here), we still know very little about how birds 'know' how to construct a nest. 

Using the zebra finch as a model study system, I design experiments in the laboratory to carefully tease apart how the social and physical environment affect avian nest construction (see my nest-building research illustrated, here).

​I use video recording and behavioural scoring software to capture the behaviour of birds in unprecedented detail, and I analyse these data using cutting-edge statistical techniques. Key findings from my research on nest-building birds are:

1) Adult and raw-material access in early life interactively influence builder-bird phenotype (i.e., material preference and construction speed) - read the publication, here. 

2) Both construction artefacts (nests) and an unfamiliar, non-natal environment can influence novice builder-birds’ choice of nest material - read the publication, here. 

3) Differences in nest-material rigidity are linked to differences in birds’ reproductive success (fledglings produced) - publication out soon!

Thus, my research has revealed social (e.g., adult presence) and ecological (e.g., nest-material physical properties) drivers - in both early and adult life - of variation in birds’ nest building, and animal material technology more generally.