Urban birds are incredibly resourceful and will find a large range of strange and weird places to build their nests. Here are some of the best.

 
For 6 years the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in America have been documenting the diverse places birds build their nests with their Celebrate Urban Birds project.

Cornell’s Marta del Campo is no longer surprised by the strange places that birds build their homes.

“All birds are looking for a place where they can be safe from predators and where food and water are handy,” says del Campo. “When you look at it that way, some of the ‘weird’ locations actually make some sense. A bird nesting in an old shoe in your garage will be protected from bad weather and out of view of predators.”

WREN NEST IN A GOLF SHOE, CAROLINA

AMERICAN ROBIN NESTING ON A TRUCK TIRE, PENNSYLVANIA

COMMON MOORHEN NEST ON A GOOSE FIGURINE, FLORIDA

ANNA’S HUMMINGBIRD NEST ATOP A HOLIDAY LIGHT
Using a spider web to affix its nest to a single bulb in a strand of holiday lights, this tiny Anna’s hummingbird successfully hatched two chicks last year.

OSPREY NEST ON A STATUE, MASSACHUSETTS

ROBIN NEST IN LADDER, OHIO

BIRDS NEST IN MOTORCYCLE HELMETS, NEW YORK

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