鳥類筑巢看似是它們的天性，科學(xué)家們也很難理解它們究竟如何學(xué)會(huì)建筑自己家的,。大多數(shù)鳥類在繁殖季節(jié),，在它們的巢區(qū)以內(nèi)，選用植物纖維,、樹枝,、樹葉、雜草泥土,、獸毛或鳥羽等物,，筑成可使鳥卵不致滾散，并能同時(shí)均勻受到親鳥體溫的孵化和有利于親鳥喂雛的巢窩
不過對(duì)于鳥類的筑巢技術(shù),，科學(xué)家到是有了研究,，前不久蘇格蘭愛丁堡大學(xué)的生物學(xué)家們通過研究非洲黑臉織雀發(fā)現(xiàn)，它們的筑巢能力和風(fēng)格會(huì)隨著時(shí)間的推移而變化,，它們筑巢的本事不僅僅是天生的，更是熟能生巧,，越成熟的鳥類它們的巢建筑的就越合理,，越漂亮。
研究這次鳥類筑巢愛丁堡大學(xué)的威爾森博士說：“我們發(fā)現(xiàn),，鳥類筑巢可能是因?yàn)樗鼈兊幕蛑芯陀幸粋€(gè)筑巢的本領(lǐng),，不過它們所認(rèn)識(shí)的巢僅僅是一個(gè)抽象的概念，只有大概輪廓,，它們通過這個(gè)大概輪廓作為參照物,，你也可以看出，剛開始它們的巢大多都差不多,。但你仔細(xì)觀察后會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)這些巢還是有很大的區(qū)別的,，年齡越大的鳥它們建筑的巢更精美耐用。這應(yīng)該是經(jīng)驗(yàn)起了作用,。”
科學(xué)家們發(fā)現(xiàn),，就算是同一只黑臉織雀，它前后編織的巢穴也會(huì)有很大區(qū)別,，而不同的鳥類的搭巢方式也完全不同,，有些喜歡從左往右搭起，而有些則喜歡從右往左,。此外,，隨著經(jīng)驗(yàn)的累積,，它們筑巢時(shí)失誤也會(huì)減少，把草葉掉落的頻率也會(huì)逐漸降低,。
它們同時(shí)還研究的北極濱鳥的筑巢行為,，發(fā)現(xiàn)它們筑巢的緯度越高，其鳥蛋被狐貍和其他動(dòng)物吃掉的幾率就越低,，這解釋了為何北極濱鳥每年都要“長途跋涉”北上筑巢,。
科學(xué)家們介紹，北極濱鳥每年都要從它們?cè)谀厦乐弈隙艘约胺侵藓痛笱笾弈喜康貐^(qū)的過冬場所飛到荒蕪偏遠(yuǎn)的北極筑巢,、繁殖,。鳥兒在這一過程中要面對(duì)體能消耗、極端氣候等多種挑戰(zhàn),，但獲得的回報(bào)是可喜的,，其鳥蛋被吃掉的幾率大大降低。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2011.06.011
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Individuality in nest building: Do Southern Masked weaver (Ploceus velatus) males vary in their nest-building behaviour?
Patrick T. Walsh, Mike Hansell, Wendy D. Borello, Susan D. Healy
We currently have little understanding of how birds know what nest to build and what little we do know has been gained largely from investigations of the completed structures (morphology of finished nests) or of material selection. Here we looked at the behaviours performed by male Southern Masked weaverbirds when building their nests. During the two earliest phases of construction individual males varied in the direction in which they carried and inserted grass into their developing nest, the speed at which they completed phases of nest construction and in the frequency with which they dropped grass during weaving. Behaviours performed during the initial attachment phase, when grass is being secured to a bare branch, were not repeatable within males, whereas during the subsequent “ring” phase behaviours tended to be repeatable. Some males were biased as to which side of the nest they inserted grass blades and strongly lateralized individuals completed phases of nest-building more quickly. The lack of repeatability of most nest-building behaviours and the changes in those behaviours as males build more nests seems most readily explained by increasing dexterity. Further work is required to confirm any role for cognition in these experience-dependent changes.
