In a robin couple, a male brings his female partner nesting material as she constructs the robins’ nest. The female builds the cup-like nest with mud as its foundation and lines it with grasses, twigs ...

A male and female Baltimore oriole feed their young while perched on their hanging nest, which is made of materials like thin twigs, plant cotton and bark strips. Spring is in the air — which means ...

Look at that spot-chested young robin, hopping blithely across the lawn, stopping here and there as it searches for a meal. And take note of a young blue jay perched on a branch, gulping down a ...

Instinct does play a role in nest-building, but so much more seems to be involved. Entwined with instinct are reason, learning, experience, insight, and perhaps even a sense of aesthetics. And when ...