Dutch researchers have discovered that certain birds utilize the spikes around their nests as weapons, employing them to deter pests much like people do.
It exhibits incredible flexibility, Auke-Florian Hiemstra is a biologist.
He told the BBC that they were “incredible fortresses — like a bunker for birds.”
There is evidence of species all throughout the world using everything from barbed wire to knitting needles. Human-made materials being utilized in bird nests is nothing new.
However, this research by Naturalis Biodiversity Center and the Natural History Museum Rotterdam is the first well-documented study that says birds appear to be positioning the sharp spikes outwards, maximising protection. Mr Hiemstra’s research started in the courtyard of a hospital in Antwerp, Belgium, where an enormous magpie nest was found containing some 1,500 spikes. “For the first few minutes, I just stared at it – this strange, beautiful, weird nest,” Mr Hiemstra explained.
He says the spikes were pointing outwards, creating a perfect armour around the nest. A trip to the hospital roof confirmed it – about 50m (164 ft) of anti-bird spike strips had been ripped off the building – all that remained was the trail of glue. Two such nests are now in the collection of Rotterdam’s Natural History Museum. Mr Hiemstra says many more need to be found to further prove his theory, but there are several aspects to the nest architecture that suggest the birds are using the spikes as protection.
The first is their placement; the spikes are on the nests’ roofs, so they aren’t just building a roof; they are building a roof with thorny material for protection, he claims.
Since humans dislike thorny shrubs and trees, birds living in built-up areas turn to the next best thing, according to Mr. Hiemstra. Birds frequently use thorny branches to secure their nests.
According to him, the fact that the adhesive used to connect the spikes to structures is powerful and that the spikes are difficult to remove demonstrates their incredible capacity to adapt to their surroundings as well as their commitment to safeguard their nests.
Many instances of birds taking matters into their own hands have been documented, such as the cheeky cockatoo that tore off building spikes near Sydney, Australia, or Melbourne’s Parkdale Pigeon that gained notoriety for making its nest directly on top of spikes.
Furthermore, Mr. Hiemstra views this as “beautiful revenge” even though it may upset the people who first paid for the spikes.
They are building a nest out of the stuff we created to keep them out in order to produce more birds.
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