When you think of a bird's nest, you probably picture a typical bowl-shaped structure made of twigs and leaves, right? Well, it turns out some bird nests are a bit more complicated than that.
To woo a mate, the village weaver builds three to five nests each mating season — each takes up to 15 hours to create.
Shutterstock/Karel Gallas
Sociable weavers win the award for biggest bird nest on Earth. Hundreds of families live in just one.
Shutterstock/Isabella Pfenninger
Shutterstock/EcoPrint
The mud nests built by the rufous hornero are dome-shaped and often stacked on top of each other.
Flickr/julianomarp
Dozens of Montezuma oropendola nests hang from one tree — they're ruled by an alpha male who takes his pick of the ladies.
Flickr/caspar s
The tiny hummingbird has an equally tiny nest. Barely bigger than a teacup, they often contain spider webs to hold them together.
Flickr/stephane4500
Malleefowl nests are made of enormous mounds of sand they use to protect their young.
Wikimedia Commons/Glen Fergus
Cactus ferruginous pygmy owls live in — what else? — a cactus. The hollowed-out space is made by a woodpecker, though.
Flickr/bunky's pickle
Sand martins burrow tunnels into sandy seaside walls or cliffs, where they hide eggs deep inside.
Flickr/treehouse1977
Bower birds construct nests on the ground with colorful cloth, trash and whatever else a male can find to attract a mate.
Flickr/thinboyfatter
This cozy-looking nest belongs to the bushtit. He creates his hanging castle out of grass and spider webs.
Flickr/Mike's Birds