Nests, Eggs, Birds

Introduction

What is it about birds that so captivates us? What makes a bird such a natural metaphor for hope? The simplest answer is probably that most are beautiful and graceful and can take flight. They exhibit some of the most colorful ornamentation in the animal world, from the peacock’s extravagant tail to the flashing iridescence of a hummingbird. And their beauty is somehow more accessible to us than the beauty of many other animals; even those of us who will never come near a pink flamingo in the wild or watch a bird of paradise flash its yellow and green chest feathers are still privy to red-breasted robins in springtime, or the bright blue feathers of the jays. And their beauty is auditory, too—they sing, and chirp, and caw, reminding us of their presence even when we can’t see them.

Maybe it’s that we see ourselves in them, in a way. They build homes for themselves and their young, hunt for food, and perform their regular routines, going about their daily business. They’re like us, but in some ways they seem better. They walk upright on two legs as we do, but they also do one thing that humans have strived after for centuries—they (nearly all) can fly. They’re symbols of love and devotion—many, though certainly not all, are monogamous, and many tenderly care for their offspring as we do. They’re figures of peace and power. We have a history of ascribing so much meaning to birds. And as we learn more—as our knowledge of birds grows and improves—the picture grows all the more incredible.

This book, an illustrated compendium of nests, eggs, and birds, can’t possibly come anywhere close to being comprehensive. There are birds on every continent of the world, and their species number in the thousands there’s just no way for one little book to cover them all. Instead, it attempts to highlight some of the most striking examples of the world’s birds, their nests, and their eggs. We’ll talk about the diversity of materials they use to build their nests, their stunning capacity for architecture, and some of the incredible lengths to which they go to protect their young. We’ll cover some of the most colorful, huge, tiny, and oddly shaped eggs produced by birds. And we’ll highlight some other amazing bird stories, touching on new discoveries about bird intelligence, record-setting birds, and more. Birds are some of the most amazing animals on Earth, and this book is a celebration of their lives.