Hanging in a tree in a scorching-hot desert is a large, messy, grassy structure that looks like. . . . a haystack!
This unusual nest may look rather untidy, but it has been carefully built by generations of weaver birds. These sparrow-sized birds live in large colonies, working together to create their giant nest from twigs and dry grass. A single nest may be home to 100 families!
- Discover how the communal nest is made up of tiny tunnels that lead to each family's nest chamber.
- See how the birds protect the entrances to their homes with sharp spikes of straw that keep out predators, such as snakes.
- And learn how a weaver bird chick may grow up in the nest and then move into its own nesting chamber as a neighbor of its parents, once it is ready to raise its own family.
Readers will enjoy learning about the unusual behavior of these sociable birds, and will love the close-up photos that show the birds' everyday lives and how they build their amazing home.
