Editing Nest (section)

==Nest building==
===Purposes of nesting===
====Structural purposes====
Nest building (nidification) is often driven by a biological urge in [[pregnant]] animals to protect one's offspring known as the [[nesting instinct]].  Animals build nests to protect their [[egg (biology)|eggs]], their offspring, or themselves from danger. The simplest nest structures are adapted to hide eggs from [[predator]]s, shield them from the sun or other environmental factors, or simply keep them from being scattered in [[ocean currents]]. In some cases, nests also help provide [[safety in numbers]] for egg-laying animals.<ref name=SDNMH>{{cite web|title=Nests and Nest-building Animals|author=Tom Deméré|author2=Bradford D. Hollingsworth|publisher=San Diego Natural History Museum|date=Spring 2002|url=http://www.sdnhm.org/archive/research/herpetology/NestBuilding.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.sdnhm.org/archive/research/herpetology/NestBuilding.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=August 19, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Pandion haliaetus -Belize -building nest-8.jpg|thumb|left|A pair of [[osprey]]s building a nest.]]

====Social purposes====
Many nest builders provide parental care to their young, while others simply lay their eggs and leave. [[Brooding]] (incubating eggs by sitting on them) is common among birds. In general, nest complexity increases in relation to the level of parental care provided.<ref name=SDNMH />  Nest building reinforces social behavior, allowing for larger populations in small spaces to the point of increasing the [[carrying capacity]] of an environment.  Insects that exhibit the most complex nidification also exhibit the greatest social structure.  Among mammals, the [[naked mole-rat]] displays a [[Caste (biology)|caste]] structure similar to the [[social insects]] while building extensive [[burrow]]s that house hundreds of individuals.<ref name=Hansell />

===Usage of environment===
Versatility in use of construction material may be an adaptive advantage (less energy used to gather materials) or a disadvantage (less ability to specialize construction).  The available evidence suggests that [[natural selection]] more often favors [[Generalist and specialist species|specialization over flexibility]] in nest construction.<ref name=Hansell />{{why|date=August 2018}}

At the most basic level, there are only two types of nest building: sculpting and assembly.

====Sculpting====
Sculpting is the process of removing material to achieve the desired outcome.  Most commonly this entails burrowing into the ground or plant matter to create a nesting site.

====Assembly====
Assembly entails gathering, transporting, and arranging materials to create a novel structure.  Transportation has the greatest time and energy cost so animals are usually adapted to build with materials available in their immediate environment.

===Building materials===
[[Plant matter]] is the most common construction material for nests. Other common materials include [[fur]] or [[feathers]], perhaps from the animal itself, [[mud]] or [[dirt]], [[fecal matter]], and specialized [[secretions]] from the animal's body.

===Effects on environment===
Nest building can have a substantial impact on the environment in which animals live. The combined [[digging]] activity of [[termite]]s and [[mole-rat]]s in [[South Africa]] has created a "mima prairie" landscape marked by huge areas of flat land punctuated by mounds {{convert|30|m|ft}} wide and {{convert|2|m|ft}} high. Similar structures exist in the [[United States]], created by [[pocket gopher]]s, and [[Argentina]], rodents of the genus ''[[Ctenomys]]''.

====Lasting effects====
Nests constructed by [[megapode]] birds have been mistaken for [[anthropological]] features by professionals, due to their exceptional height ({{convert|10|m|ft|disp=x| [|]}}) and abundance (hundreds in a single location).<ref name=Hansell />