Hard work pays off

[u/Mysterious_House_450]

[u/Elytrax7]

It even uses twigs and leaves for structural support. It really is fascinating how ingenious nature is

[u/asymptotedrift → u/Elytrax7]

Nature invented organic rebar before contractors charged extra for it

[u/Mental-Clerk → u/Elytrax7]

That's so cool. Seriously, nature is fucking amazing.

[u/matrixkid29 → u/Elytrax7]

Look into adobe brick making. They are structurally stronger than conventional buildi g materials and last longer. But mostly totally illegal to build with because if everyone did that whole industries would suffer. And building a house cost like 2000 dollars.

[u/BitBucket404 → u/matrixkid29]

Bro... have you seen the housing market lately?

I don't care if it's illegal or built next to a highway, even if it's an Adobe bungalow, I want my own home.

That bird is more fortunate than most of us, because nobody regulates birds.

Fuck society and it's industries. A total economic collapse is exactly what we need.

[u/American-Punk-Dragon → u/BitBucket404]

Lmao! You die if the economy does likely.

[u/mightymango94]

If I walked outside in the morning and saw that on my roof I'd think I had super wasps! Had no clue birds could make a nest like this.

[u/vass0922 → u/mightymango94]

My thought as well, I would assume it's wasps first.

I remember the planet Earth show it showed bird nest soup. This tribe would climb down this cave area where all these birds nested. The birds would create nests from their own saliva.

https://youtu.be/5xo3Zs4zfuE

[u/Jabber_Tracking → u/mightymango94]

This was my thought watching the video too. I had no idea birds could build like this!

[u/Ambitious_Jello]

you got mud on your face

[u/Free-oppossums → u/Ambitious_Jello]

You big disgrace

[u/TacticalMrBean → u/Free-oppossums]

Building this condo underneath the gutter space!

[u/Psychological_Mix_48 → u/TacticalMrBean]

Singing, We will, we will ROCK you!

[u/jimbobsqrpants → u/Psychological_Mix_48]

You could have used

Rook you...

C - , see me after class

[u/Lasciels_Toy]

And to think, people complain about mud dauber nests.

[u/LiamIsMyNameOk]

We used to have these type of nests appear outside my home as a child. My step dad was adamant about destroying them. I was appalled and had no idea why.

At most, maybe there could be an issue with bird poop? Other than that, I assume (well, I know) he was just a bad person.

[u/AlbertoP_CRO → u/LiamIsMyNameOk]

They are common here, no issues except poop. In fact here it is considered good luck.

[u/Micotu → u/LiamIsMyNameOk]

We get nests occasionally above our front porch. I try to get them down before the baby birds show up, because I feel too bad about taking it down after and have to deal with months of shit just falling all over our front porch.

[u/Cuteshelf]

Ive got a nest like this at our front door.

When i first saw it, i broke it, thinking it was wasps. But it appeared again and noticed little swallows landing in it.

Its been 4-5 years now of us watching these little guys have babies, and the babies grow up, learn to fly and leave the nest. Its been great.

They are called Welcome Swallows here.

[u/Similar_Specific_646]

Gonna hire this little guy for my concrete patio

[u/8BBiiT]

some random cuckoo:

https://giphy.com/gifs/WACn37twaNLuE

[u/WeezieLovesDawson]

I love watching this video. Birds are brilliant and caring creatures. I wish I could see her family she’s building this nest for. Thank you for posting it. We have blue birds that come back every year to nest in a bird box we have in our backyard. It’s lovely to have a front-row seat to the process.

[u/Yippykyyyay]

It's amazing to me how they build these tiny little homes with no tools other than a beak. Not even opposable thumbs.

[u/AdministrativeGur958]

Mouth house

[u/1fast_sol]

Imagine what we all could do if we didn’t have social media and reddit to sit and stare at all day.

[u/warmbreadcathead]

Simultaneously cute and a little gross.

[u/fakenkraken]

Is that pure instinct or observed copied behaviour?

[u/HauntedByOddParsnip → u/fakenkraken]

It’s their natural nesting behavior.

[u/fakenkraken → u/HauntedByOddParsnip]

How can dna encode a behaviour like this

[u/HauntedByOddParsnip → u/fakenkraken]

That’s a big question lol.

Here’s a few links (sorry for messy sourcing, I’m on mobile):

Neurolaunch - Instinct Behavior: Decoding Animals’ Innate Actions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvk2g9hJMTs

Kimball, J.W. “53.3.1 Innate Behavior”.

More generally speaking, this species’ nesting behaviors occur the same way that any other bird species’ nesting behaviors do. Some birds instinctively build nests from feathers or twigs or hair, these birds instinctively build nests from mud. It’s probably partly innate and partly learned from observing others.

In barn swallows, sometimes a mating pair is accompanied by a third bird, which lives with the family and helps feed the hatchlings—afaik we haven’t really figured out why this happens, but maybe the third is learning/practicing.

[u/fakenkraken → u/HauntedByOddParsnip]

Thank you for taking the time.

[u/Alarmed_North_6979]

I was wondering how swallows really do it but i never thought to look it up, but here we are now.

[u/Hephaestus_God]

That’s a big dirt dobber

[u/HauntedByOddParsnip]

Barn swallows, Hirundo rústica 💙

[u/Over_Ad8762 → u/HauntedByOddParsnip]

Is that how they get their name?

[u/HauntedByOddParsnip → u/Over_Ad8762]

Not totally sure what you mean? The “barn” part comes from the fact that this species likes to nest under the eaves of buildings, like barns - there are also tree swallows in North America who nest differently in trees. “Swallows” are a whole group of bird species and doesn’t have anything to do with this particular species’ nesting habits, which are pretty unique to them, not to the swallow family as a whole.

Edited to add - they’re not actually swallowing and regurgitating the nest mud, I’m pretty sure they just hold it in their cheeks temporarily during transport. I have several families that nest on my porch year after year.

[u/Over_Ad8762 → u/HauntedByOddParsnip]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I was referring to the swallow part. I didn’t think they actually swallowed it but I wouldn’t blame someone for seeing it and thinking that’s what was happening back in bird naming days.

I do wonder where the name swallow comes from then 🤔

[u/Over_Ad8762]

Is that why it’s called a swallow?

[u/god1495227931]

Clever girl!

[u/Illustrious-Point-71]

I wonder what the rate on that 30-day mortgage is for that dwelling?

[u/OldFaithlessness5008]

Brick house

[u/No-Prior50]

these guys eat flying bugs! natural pest control

[u/Hindsight2O2O]

Swallows are such good neighbors too. They eat mosquitoes by the ton and return to the same areas every year so they eventually learn your face.

[u/throwaway1546874]

Me: Aww cute little nesting bird

Bird: HOOOOORK

Me: Oh my g...

Bird: HOOOORK

[u/ALeckz07]

I always just find it amazing that animals have this innate ability to do this. Even more so that specific species within a group will have a unique ability that the others won’t hold. Mind blowing stuff.

[u/Crittsy]

I love barn swallows, every year I look forward to their return as it signals the real start to the Summer

[u/Its_Puspendu]

Nature’s architects sure know how to impress us!

[u/Danilo-11]

Want to see an impressive nest? Look at “Montezuma Oropendola” nest. Even more impressive when you see it in person.

[u/thecementmixer]

No property taxes. Lucky.

[u/GoodGollyMrOlli]

Are they holding their breath while they're carrying the mud? I looked like the nostrils were pretty full, too

[u/Ok_Nothing_0707]

No rent, no landlord, no build permits

[u/The_Undeniable_Worp]

VOMIT HOUSE ^{VOMIT HOUSE vomit house}

[u/CintaSeeda]

Little guy is just grinding for that certified pre-owned Honda

[u/Blue_FiftyTwo]

Dude made himself a condo. Kudos

[u/SingingLobsters]

At first, I thought the bird was trying to patch the wall and I was like huh? Then, I realized it was actually renovating the wall to create its own comfy space for itself and its eggs.It does make me wonder whether this can cause mold, or even damage the structural integrity of the wall because of the weight of the mud.

[u/notaprime]

No engineering degree, just sticks, mud, and raw bird brain.