Birds build their nests out of everything from twigs and mud to spider silk. Some birds don’t even build a nest, and the places where they do build them can vary.

BUILT TO SUIT Birds, like people, build to suit, though birds are wa-a-ay more interested in camouflage than are we humans. Just as we have our styles of wood, adobe or brick, so do the birds: twig ...

And every nest requires protection, vegetation that both conceals and cools. In short, a yard without appropriate nest sites, shelter, and available construction materials will have no nesting birds.

Swallows may use the same nests spring after spring, building or repairing them with individual pellets of mud they pick up nearby. The birds don't waste time laying three to four eggs.

The Home You Own What to do if you find a bird nest near your home Birds make nests over front doors, on porches and patios, even on cars. Here’s how to keep one safe.