The cape penduline tit, found in the sub-tropical shrublands of southern Africa, builds an innovative nest that includes a false chamber to trick predators. And the brown noddy, a tropical seabird, constructs a small platform from its own guano upon which to lay a single egg.

Dozens more species feature in the new Smithsonian Handbook of Interesting Bird Nests and Eggs, which showcases a wide array of these beguiling natural constructions. From mud and wool to feathers and twigs, the volume highlights more than 100 examples collected between 1768 and 2000.

Author Douglas G. D. Russell knows a thing or two about caring for avian egg and nest collections in his role as Senior Curator of Birds at London’s Natural History Museum. In this new pocket-size guide, he reveals how much the wide array of nests and eggs can teach us about bird behavior, habitats, and evolutionary and ecological phenomena.

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