Birds Build Nests

BIRDS
BUILD
NESTS

BY ELIZABETH RAUM ILLUSTRATED BY ROMINA MARTÍ



BIRDS
BUILD
NESTS

BY ELIZABETH RAUM ILLUSTRATED BY ROMINA MARTÍ

AMICUS ILLUSTRATED and AMICUS INK are published by Amicus
P.O. Box 1329, Mankato, MN 56002
www.amicuspublishing.us
© 2018 Amicus. International copyright reserved in all countries.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from the publisher.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Names: Raum, Elizabeth, author. | Martí, Romina, illustrator.
Title: Birds build nests / by Elizabeth Raum ; illustrated by Romina Martí.
Description: Mankato, Minnesota : Amicus, [2017] | Series: Animal builders |

Series: Amicus illustrated | Audience: Grade K-3.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016050071 (print) | LCCN 2017003875 (ebook) | ISBN

9781681511702 (library binding) | ISBN 9781681521510 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781681512600 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Birds—Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC QL676.2 R35 2017 (print) | LCC QL676.2 (ebook) | DDC
598—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016050071
EDITOR: Rebecca Glaser
DESIGNER: Kathleen Petelinsek
Printed in the United States of America
HC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
PB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUTTHE ILLUSTRATOR

As a child, Elizabeth Raum hiked Romina Martí is an illustrator who
through the Vermont woods lives and works in Barcelona,
searching for signs that animals Spain, where her ideas come to
lived nearby. She read every life for all audiences. She loves
animal book in the school library. to discover and draw all kinds
She now lives in North Dakota of creatures from around the
and writes books for young planet, who then become the
readers. Many of her books are main characters for the majority
about animals. To learn more, go of her work. To learn more, go
to: www.elizabethraum.net. to: rominamarti.com

Birds build many kinds of nests, in different
places and in different shapes. But all birds want
one thing: to keep their eggs and babies safe.

3

A female robin picks a spot away from wind, sun, and rain.
She might pick a tall tree or a leafy bush. She could choose a
windowsill or a roof. Then she and her mate look for supplies.

4

Robins build cup nests. The robins gather twigs, grass, and leaves.
They find paper, string, and animal hair. The female presses these
things into a cup shape. She uses mud to hold them together.

5

After two to six days, the nest is
done. The female robin lines the
nest with soft grass. She lays three to
five small, blue eggs. The chicks will
live in the nest when they hatch.

6

7

Bald eagle nests are so big, they take one to three months to build.
A young pair of bald eagles chooses the tallest living tree for their
platform nest. Being up so high gives them a good lookout.

8

The eagles gather branches and big sticks and pile them onto
strong forked branches in the tree. They weave the sticks
together. They pack grass, moss, or cornstalks into empty spaces.

9

Finally, the eagles line the
center of the nest with soft
moss and grass before laying
eggs. The eagles will use this
nest for many years. They
will add on to it each year.

10

11

Woodpeckers build nests in trees, too.
They build cavity nests.

12

They use their beaks to carve a pear-shaped cavity,
or hole, inside the tree. They line the nest with
woodchips. The eggs will be safe deep inside the tree.

13

Cliff swallows use mud to build their nests on rock walls
or buildings. The male begins by gathering mud in his bill.
He finds the mud in puddles, beside a lake, or by a river.

14

The swallows make mud pellets. They carry the mud
to a cliff, and use their beaks to push it into place.
The swallows form the pellets into a bowl shape.

15

16

They add walls and a roof. The pair lines the
nest with dried grass. It takes about a week,
and more than 1,000 mud pellets, to make
a nest. Cliff swallows live in large groups
called colonies. Many nests sit side by side.

17

Flamingos use mud, too. But
they build ground nests. A
pair works together, using
their bills to pull mud
toward their feet.

18

The mound is 12 to 24
inches (30 to 60 cm) high.
The eggs rest in a hollow in
the middle of the mound.

19

What’s the best nest? The birds know. It’s the
nest that keeps their eggs and chicks safe.

20

21

Where Birds Live

American Bald Hairy Cliff American
Robin Eagle Woodpecker Swallow Flamingo

22

Build Like a Bird

Cliff swallows build mud nests on rock walls or buildings. Try building a small model to see how this works.

WHAT CLIFF SWALLOWS USE WHAT YOU NEED

Wet mud Air-dry clay

Rock cliff face Coarse sandpaper
Shoebox
Glue

Their beaks Your hands

WHAT YOU DO

1. Cover the bottom of the shoebox with the sandpaper. Glue it on securely.
2. Roll the clay into marble-sized pellets. Use them to make an outline of a small circle about

3 inches (8 cm) wide on the sandpaper.
3. Add more clay pellets to make a smaller circle on top of the first one. Keep adding layers.
4. After you add about 3 or 4 layers, stand the box on its end. Use something heavy to prop it up if you need to.
5. Add more clay pellets to form a hollow cone shape. Leave a hole in the middle for the door.

Cliff swallow nests are bigger than this. Building a bird's nest is difficult—if you are not a bird!

23

GLOSSARY WEBSITES

cavity nest A nest that is dug out or built into some kind All About Birds
of natural hole. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/
Watch videos of birds in their nests, learn how to attract birds to
colony A large group of animals that live together. your yard, and much more.
cup nest A nest that is formed into a cup shape.
ground nest A nest that sits on the ground. Birds
platform nest A mostly flat nest made by piling up sticks http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/animals/birds
Learn about the many different kinds of birds at the San Diego Zoo.
and twigs.
Bird’s Nest Safari
READ MORE http://www.highlightskids.com/audio-story/birds-nest-safari
Listen to the article and see pictures of several different birds and
Aston, Dianna Hutts. A Nest is Noisy. San Francisco, their nests.
Calif.: Chronicle Books, 2015.
Every effort has been made to ensure that these websites are appropriate for children.
Gray, Rita. Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? However, because of the nature of the Internet, it is impossible to guarantee that these
Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. sites will remain active indefinitely or that their contents will not be altered.

Ward, Jennifer. Mama Built a Little Nest. New York:
Beach Lane Books, 2014.

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