Nests serve as a safe home for birds. In them, birds incubate their offspring, hide from dangers. The sizes of individual nests are so large that several people can fit in them.
Ocellated australian chicken
The Australian ocellated hens are considered the record holders for the construction of the most voluminous nests. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with common chickens and look like pheasants. The birds have a grayish-variegated plumage, their size is about the size of a turkey. Birds live mainly in that part of Australia where shrubs and arid soils prevail, so their nests look quite specific. The design of the incubator resembles a hill with a depression, its height ranges from 4 to 5 meters, and its diameter can reach 13 meters.
Ornithologists say that if you count the natural materials that went into the construction of the nesting site, then about 3 tons of weight and 250 cubic meters of volume will come out.
It is interesting that the male is engaged in all construction work, bringing dry leaves and grass into the dug hole, which should rot with the arrival of rains. The father of the bird family decides for himself when the female can use the nest, he continuously monitors its condition and the temperature inside the incubator.
Bald eagle
Still, nests of Australian ocellated chickens are very unusual, given their terrestrial location. But if you hold a competition among birds building nests of the usual pattern, then the undoubted winners will be bald eagles. The results of their hard work are confirmed in the Guinness Book of Records. A feathered pair chooses for habitation the top of a large spreading tree or a stable platform on a rock, not far from some body of water. Together they build a nest from twigs, sticks, and other similar materials, regularly strengthening its strength. Such a dwelling will serve them for several years.
The cup-shaped nest of the golden eagle reaches 2-3 tons in weight, while its diameter is 2-3 meters, and its height is 4-6 meters.
Golden eagle
The third place rightfully went to the golden eagles. These large birds of prey prefer to settle on the edge of the forest, not far from open spaces where it is convenient to hunt. A pair of golden eagles usually build several nests and live in them alternately. The nest consists of twigs and all kinds of sticks, and the inside is lined with moss and grass, sometimes even with skins of caught rodents. Golden eagles keep their abode clean, especially taking care of fresh litter during the breeding season. The nest is fixed on thick branches and forks of trees. The average size of such a nest is 1.5 m wide and 1.5 m high, and this is far from the limit. The large size of the golden eagle nests is known - up to 4 meters deep.
