“An impregnable fortress,” says Hiemstra, “because the magpies appear to be using the pins exactly the same way we do – to keep other birds away from their nest.” Magpies make a roof on ...

Spikes placed on buildings to deter birds are being used by birds to build nests in several locations around Europe. “It sounds like a joke,” says Auke-Florian Hiemstra at the Naturalis ...

Bird nests can vary from crude and simple to intricate and complex. Predators, weather, habitat and the availability of ...

"They are using the material that we made to keep them away, to make a nest to make more birds," he told the BBC. The behavior, which has also been spotted in the Netherlands and Scotland ...

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra about his study of bird's nests that are made from anti-bird spikes. One human's trash just might be an avian's armoire. Urban birds ...

Sorenson columns: Looking out for birds in your backyard? Make sure these berries aren't growing there Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. So unless they had nest failure and ...

Rebellious birds are making nests out of anti-bird ... these inventive crows and magpies really surprise me again." Magpies make a roof on their nest to prevent the robbery of eggs and young ...

When building a bird nest in ant territory, the best defense could be an offensive fungus. Swollen-thorn acacia trees are aggressively defended by multiple species of ants. And yet, several ...