Weaver Bird’s Town

Hanging in a tree in a scorching-hot desert is a large, messy, grassy structure that looks like. . . . a haystack!

This unusual nest may look rather untidy, but it has been carefully built by generations of weaver birds. These sparrow-sized birds live in large colonies, working together to create their giant nest from twigs and dry grass. A single nest may be home to 100 families!

Discover how the communal nest is made up of tiny tunnels that lead to each family's nest chamber. See how the birds protect the entrances to their homes with sharp spikes of straw that keep out predators, such as snakes. And learn how a weaver bird chick may grow up in the nest and then move into its own nesting chamber as a neighbor of its parents, once it is ready to raise its own family.

Readers will enjoy learning about the unusual behavior of these sociable birds, and will love the close-up photos that show the birds' everyday lives and how they build their amazing home.