Birds

 Breeding season:

It is usually during their climate's spring to summer seasons, since that's when food & water are most abundant, and the humidity and temperature is at it's prime for raising temperature/humidity sensitive baby birds.

(Usually starting after the "rainy season," which is early spring) So that by end of summer, their babies are raised and able to care for themselves so they can find mates and migrate with them, if they are migratory.

Most birds do not come back to the exact same nesting spot they used the year before, but most do come back to the same area. (And by area, I mean state). You can tell whether a bird uses his nest repeatedly over the years, depending on how he treats his nest.

Since this allows each individual the important opportunity to pass its genes on to the next generation.  For this reason, it is a time of frenetic activity where impassioned displays, fervent singing and hot-blooded threats all form part of the zealous competition for mates and territories.  While some birds show extreme loyalty to their partners and mate for life, others choose a new mate every breeding season.  In some species, the males are blatantly promiscuous, attracting an entire harem of females each season, mating with and then abandoning them to brood and rear the young alone.  In other species, breeding is a family affair, and not the job of just the biological parents alone: the whole extended family group co-operates and works together to rear the blood.

 Bird territorial behaviour:

Birds choose a territory because it can meet their needs for food, water, shelter and nesting sites. The size of the territory will vary by species, and where some bird species need large territories with little competition, other birds have much more communal needs and are more apt to share territory with larger flocks. The size of a bird's territory can also vary from year to year depending on how viable the land is – in a year where there are excellent food sources, for example, a bird may claim less territory than in years where food is scarce.

The amount of aggression birds show defending their territory also varies based on the species and their interaction with one another. An American robin, for example, will chase away other robins from its territory, but it won't mind a white-breasted nuthatch sharing the same space because the two species do not directly compete for food sources.

How Birds Claim Territory

Migratory birds may begin to claim territory in late winter or early spring as mature males arrive from their wintering grounds and seek to find the best places where they hope to attract a mate. Non-migratory birds will also renew their claims on territory at this time, in part to attract their own mates and renew bonds but also to let arriving migrants know that the territory is already claimed.

Birds claim territory through a number of behaviors, including:

• Singing: Singing is one of the most common ways birds advertise that a territory belongs to them. Songs will carry quite far, and birds will perch near the edge of their territory to broadcast their claim to the maximum range. At the same time, the strong, vibrant song will help attract a mate. For some species, such as the northern mockingbird, a more complex song will help birds defend a larger territory and is more attractive to females.
• Nest Building: Some birds, such as different types of wrens, will claim territory by taking advantage of the nesting sites it offers. The males will build multiple nests in suitable locations throughout their territory, and the females will investigate those nests and choose the one they prefer, even if they eventually rebuild the male's construction.
• Drumming: Woodpeckers and several types of game birds claim territory by drumming as an alternative to singing. These low-pitched sounds – whether made by pounding on a hollow tree or by using air sacs – will carry great distances and alert competing birds that the territory is not available, as well as let potential mates know that a strong, healthy bird has claimed the location.
• Visual Displays: Visual displays such as puffing up colored feather patches, tail flicking or fanning, wing spreading and other behaviors are all part of claiming territory and also show off a bird's strength and health to a potential mate. These behaviors are commonly a part of courtship rituals between opposite sexes as well as territorial displays between two male birds.
• Chasing: As a last resort, aggressive birds may directly chase intruders or competitors out of their territory. This is frequent in areas where many birds are seeking to claim the same territory, or when a dominant male is discouraging younger males that are struggling to claim their first territory. In bird species where family groups remain together in the winter, the male parent may chase away his mature offspring the following spring so they do not infringe on his territory.

Most birds will use a combination of different behaviors to claim and defend territories, particularly in competitive seasons. Understanding this type of behavior can help birders better appreciate the birds they see and learn more about where to find certain species.

When Territory Doesn't Matter

There are two instances when territory is less important to birds. The first is when a bird species is not territorial at all, such as with communal nesting birds. Swifts, swallows, herons and many waterfowl are communal nesters and will have only very small territories directly around the nest site that they may defend.

Birds are also much less territorial after the breeding season ends. At this time, many birds that would have aggressively defended their space just a few weeks earlier are now gathering together for migration and are less apt to be aggressive. Even non-migratory birds are less aggressive at this time, since competition is easing for food sources and they no longer have the demands of growing chicks to meet.

Understanding bird territories and how they claim those territories helps birders know where and how to find birds in the spring and summer, and territorial behaviors can be astonishing to observe.

Nesting:

The Avian ‘PROPERTY MARKET’ is as varied as the human one, ranging from ‘penthouses’ to ‘huts’. The majestic Secretarybird values a panoramic view, and builds its huge nest platform in the canopy of a large tree with a vista overlooking the open plains.  In contrast, the Cape Robin-Chat privacy of a thick bush.  Large, congested colonies of herons and egrets, while the floating houseboat-like nests of the Little Grebe and Red-knobbed Coot lie moored on the water below.  Some eagles build huge nests or ‘eyries’ positioned on dramatic vertical cliff-face mansion like high-risk skyscrapers.  And nightjars, rather than building an elaborate mansion like that of the Hamerkop, build no nest at all, preferring to ‘camp’ in the open and lay their eggs on the ground.

You get different types of nets:

·       Classical cup-shapes

·       Woven balls

·       Saucers of sticks

·       Mud shelters

·       Stick mansions

·       Skyscrapers

·       ‘Camping’ in the open

·       Avian houseboats

·       Hollowed-out homes

·       Sealed in

·       Unique nests

Weaving Wizardry:

Weavers are renowned for being among the most accomplished weaving wizards of the bird world, with nests that are intricately and skilfully woven.  Each weaver species has specialized in a unique nest-making ‘formula’, and is able create nests of a distinctive shape and size.

Why building a nest?

Contrary to what is often thought, birds do not build nests primarily to sleep in at night, but rather for the important purpose of breeding.

A secure nursery

The main function of the nest is to provide a safe home environment for the developing eggs and growing the chicks.  The nest allows for constant, controlled conditions, offering the eggs, and later, the chicks, protections against bad weather conditions.  The materials used to build the nest often help insulate the eggs and keep them warm while the parent is away.

Who build the nest?

Depending on the specie, building the nest can be the task of both male and female working together, or just one of the pair.