Instinct does play a role in nest-building, but so much more seems to be involved. Entwined with instinct are reason, ...

Neighboring groups of birds within the same species can create very different-looking nests — showing that their nest-building choices aren't solely controlled by instinct and the environment. Instead ...

Research from Poland adds to evidence from Latin American countries that compounds in used cigarette butts ward off parasites ...

It seems that by lacing their nests with cigarette butts, several species of birds have learned to keep pests and parasites ...