BY Donna Parham
ILLUSTRATIONS BY AMY BLANDFORD
![A flamingo’s single, chalky white egg hatches atop a pile of mud. Both male and female construct the tall nest, heaping and packing soft mud into a volcano-shaped mound. The high nest protects the precious egg from changes in water level.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Flamingo.jpg)
HIGH AND DRY
A flamingo’s single, chalky white egg hatches atop a pile of mud. Both male and female construct the tall nest, heaping and packing soft mud into a volcano-shaped mound. The high nest protects the precious egg from changes in water level.
![A floating mass of aquatic plants provides the perfect platform for a pair of red-necked grebes. Anchored to nearby vegetation, the nest is situated to protect eggs and chicks from mammalian predators.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/red-necked-grebes.jpg)
BOBBING ALONG
A floating mass of aquatic plants provides the perfect platform for a pair of red-necked grebes. Anchored to nearby vegetation, the nest is situated to protect eggs and chicks from mammalian predators.
![GROUNDED For the semipalmated plover, the best nest is little more than a shallow depression in sand, among rocks, or in sparse vegetation. A female lays three or four mottled eggs that are pointed at one end. This pyriform shape keeps the eggs from rolling away.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/semipalmated-plover.jpg)
GROUNDED
For the semipalmated plover, the best nest is little more than a shallow depression in sand, among rocks, or in sparse vegetation. A female lays three or four mottled eggs that are pointed at one end. This pyriform shape keeps the eggs from rolling away.
![HANDYMAN Using strips of palm, rice plants, or grass, a male baya weaver knits together a hanging nest with an entrance tunnel.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/baya-weaver-.jpg)
HANDYMAN
Using strips of palm, rice plants, or grass, a male baya weaver knits together a hanging nest with an entrance tunnel.
![SOFT AND STRETCHY With spider webs, a female hummingbird binds together twigs, moss, soft plant fibers, and bits of leaves and lichens. The tiny, cup-shaped nest is soft and spongy, stretching and expanding as chicks grow.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Hummingbird.jpg)
SOFT AND STRETCHY
With spider webs, a female hummingbird binds together twigs, moss, soft plant fibers, and bits of leaves and lichens. The tiny, cup-shaped nest is soft and spongy, stretching and expanding as chicks grow.
![REUSERS In some places, burrowing owls dig their own burrows, but they more commonly settle into a burrow abandoned by a ground squirrel or other rodent, badger, skunk, armadillo, or tortoise. The female owl stays underground with her eggs and chicks, while the male hunts and feeds the family.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/BurrowingOwl.jpg)
REUSERS
In some places, burrowing owls dig their own burrows,
but they more commonly settle into a burrow abandoned by a ground squirrel or other rodent, badger, skunk, armadillo, or tortoise. The female owl stays underground with her eggs and chicks, while the male hunts and feeds the family.
![COOL AND DRY A monogamous pair of Gila woodpeckers work together to excavate a nest cavity in a dry cactus or palm. The pair reuse the same nest for several years.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Woodpecker.jpg)
COOL AND DRY
A monogamous pair of Gila woodpeckers work together to excavate a nest cavity in a dry cactus or palm. The pair reuse the same nest for several years.
![Apartment Complex A sociable weaver nest is a busy place as year-round shelter and warmth for up to 200 birds, with separate entrances and chambers for each family unit.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/SociableWeaver.jpg)
APARTMENT COMPLEX
A sociable weaver nest is a busy place as year-round shelter and warmth for up to 200 birds, with separate entrances and chambers for each family unit.
![Adobe Ovenbirds build a sturdy, enclosed nest of mud mixed with plant matter.](https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Ovenbirds.jpg)
ADOBE
Ovenbirds build a sturdy, enclosed nest of mud mixed with plant matter.