Whenever you consider a chook’s nest, you in all probability image a comfy little residence tucked excessive up in a tree. However guess what? Not all birds take the treetop route! Loads of species really nest proper on the bottom. From sandy seashores to dense grasslands and even rocky cliffs, ground-nesting birds have some fascinating survival methods. Some depend on camouflage to maintain their eggs hidden, whereas others defend their nests with fierce dedication.
Prime 19 Birds That Nest on the Floor
Shorebirds
Shorebirds embrace avocets, terns, puffins, gulls, stilts, sandpipers, and plovers. Listed here are a couple of examples:
1. Atlantic puffin
- Scientific title: Fratercula arctica
- Size: 10.2 to 11.4 inches
- Wingspan: 20.9 inches
- Weight: 10.9 to 19.4 ounces
Atlantic Puffins are black on high with white undersides. Their beaks are black, white, orange, and yellow throughout breeding with a pale grey face.
Exterior of the breeding season, their beaks lose the orange/yellow marks and their face turns into a darkish grey.
The official chook of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the Atlantic Puffins nest in burrows or shallow holes within the floor. In rocky spots, they nest inside crevices of rocks or underneath boulders.
2. California Gull
- Scientific title: Larus californicus
- Size: 18.5 to 21.3 inches
- Wingspan: 51.2 inches
- Weight: 15.2 to 36.9 ounces
With a medium-sized physique and a slim beak in comparison with different species of gulls, grownup California Gulls possess grey backs, pitch-black eyes, yellow beaks with a black ring on the tip, and yellow legs.
Through the breeding season, their heads are utterly white and the purple mark on the decrease mandible is lots brighter. When nonbreeding, brown patches seem on their heads.
California Gulls nest on the bottom however they like open, barren areas close to water slightly than timber. On common, these nests are 11 inches vast and take about 7 days to complete.
3. American Avocet
- Scientific title: Recurvirostra americana
- Size: 16.9 to 18.5 inches
- Wingspan: 28.4 inches
- Weight: 9.7 to 12.3 ounces
American Avocets possess largely white our bodies with black and white wings. Their backs present two black bands and their legs are a blue-gray shade.
Through the breeding season, their heads and necks flip a rusty orange shade. After breeding, they turn into pale grey.
A few American Avocets will select a really slight dip within the floor to create their nest. Then, they’ll both go away it like that or line it with some grass, pebbles, or feathers.
4. American Oystercatcher
- Scientific title: Haematopus palliatus
- Size: 15.8 to 17.3 inches
- Wingspan: 32 inches
- Weight: 14.1 to 24.7 ounces
In case you take a look at an American Oystercatcher up shut, you’ll see that it has a brown again and wings, a white underside, a black breast, and a darkish head.
Writer Word: American Oystercatchers additionally possess a shiny orange-red beak and yellow eyes surrounded by purple rings. Their nests are nothing however lining-less depressions within the sand throughout barrier seashores, excessive marshes, and shelly islands.
Recreation Birds
Recreation birds embrace turkeys, quails, grouses, partridges, pheasants, and guineafowl. Listed here are a couple of examples:
5. Wild Turkey
- Scientific title: Meleagris gallopavo
- Size: 43.3 to 45.3 inches
- Wingspan: 49.2 to 56.7 inches
- Weight: 88.2 to 381.0 ounces
One of many greatest and heaviest birds within the nation, this turkey normally builds its nest beneath thick vegetation, beneath brush piles, or at tree bases. Generally, it’ll select to nest in an open subject as an alternative.
Wild Turkeys dig a shallow 1-inch dip in mushy soil or leaf litter, then line it with useless twigs, leaves, and different plant supplies discovered within the space. Their nests are usually between 9 and 13 inches lengthy and as much as 11 inches vast.
6. Ring-necked Pheasant
- Scientific title: Phasianus colchicus
- Size: 19.7 to 27.6 inches
- Wingspan: 22.1 to 33.9 inches
- Weight: 17.6 to 105.8 ounces
Male Ring-necked Pheasants are fairly flashy with notably lengthy tails. They possess iridescent green-blue necks with a thick white ring on the base and shiny purple faces.
To construct their nests, the feminine chooses an appropriate spot on the bottom with tall vegetation surrounding it. It’s normally a pure dip that the feminine additional digs to turn into as deep as 3 inches and contours utilizing leaves, feathers, and/or twigs.
Waterfowl
Waterfowl embrace swans, geese, and geese. Listed here are a couple of examples:
7. American Black Duck
- Scientific title: Anas rubripes
- Size: 21.3 to 23.2 inches
- Wingspan: 34.6 to 37.4 inches
- Weight: 25.4 to 57.9 ounces
For the American Black Duck, it’s the feminine that chooses the nesting website. It’s usually a well-hidden spot on marshes, grassy islands, croplands, or uplands.
It might additionally decide a crevice amongst rocks or a spot underneath brush piles, in a shrubby location, or a hay bale. The nest is a median of 1.5 inches deep and seven to eight inches vast.
8. Cackling Goose
- Scientific title: Branta hutchinsii
- Size: 24.8 to 25.6 inches
- Wingspan: 42.5 to 43.7 inches
- Weight: 49.3 to 84.0 ounces
The Cackling Goose has a black head, beak, and tail. Its neck is black with a white ring on the base and its legs and toes are black. The remainder of its physique is shades of brown with white underneath the tail.
As soon as the feminine chooses the nest location on the bottom, it scrapes to make a gap after which makes use of leaves, grasses, mosses, and twigs to provide it form. She strains the nest with feathers to obtain the eggs.
9. Trumpeter Swan
- Scientific title: Cygnus buccinator
- Size: 54.3 to 62.2 inches
- Wingspan: 79.9 inches
- Weight: 271.6 to 448.0 ounces
The biggest native waterfowl in North America, the Trumpeter Swan is all white apart from its black beak and black legs.
Each sexes of the Trumpeter Swans share nest-building duties. They select a spot that’s no farther from shore than 600 toes, normally situated on beaver dams, small islands, floating vegetation, or artifical constructions.
Their nests take a median of 25 days to complete, measuring round 4 to eight inches deep and 10 to 16 inches vast.
Wading Birds
Flamingos, ibises, rails, cranes, storks, and herons are categorised as wading birds. Listed here are a couple of examples:
10. Shiny Ibis
- Scientific title: Plegadis falcinellus
- Size: 18.9 to 26.0 inches
- Wingspan: 31 to 41 inches
- Weight: 18.7 to 27.1 ounces
With an extended neck and an extended down-curved beak, the Shiny Ibis has a maroon plumage with metallic bronze, inexperienced, and purple hues on its wings.
Each sexes of this species cooperate to construct a cumbersome nest, constructed from the vegetation accessible within the space comparable to reeds, twigs, or sticks. The nest could be as much as 1 foot vast and 1 foot deep.
11. Sandhill Crane
- Scientific title: Antigone canadensis
- Size: 47.2 inches
- Wingspan: 78.7 inches
- Weight: 119.9 to 172.8 ounces
Sandhill Cranes are largely pale grey with black beaks and legs. They possess a singular purple patch on their crown.
These birds wish to nest in small wetlands or at a most distance of about 900 toes from the define of larger ones. Regardless of the accessible vegetation is, they’ll use it to make their nests about 30 to 40 inches vast.
12. Black Rail
- Scientific title: Laterallus jamaicensis
- Size: 3.9 to five.9 inches
- Wingspan: 8.7 to 11.0 inches
- Weight: 1.0 to 1.2 ounces
Black Rails possess a darkish plumage with white spots above. Their beaks are additionally black however their eyes are purple and their legs are a pink-wine shade.
Each women and men select the nesting location, normally in a marsh and hidden useless or residing vegetation. They make their nest right into a round form that measures 1.7 inches deep and 5 inches vast.
Songbirds
Songbirds that nest on the bottom embrace thrushes, larks, and bobolinks. Listed here are a couple of examples:
13. Hermit Thrush
- Scientific title: Catharus guttatus
- Size: 5.5 to 7.1 inches
- Wingspan: 9.8 to 11.4 inches
- Weight: 0.8 to 1.3 ounces
Hermit Thrushes have chunky, compact our bodies with a brown higher facet and a whitish underside. Their eyes are pitch-black surrounded by a skinny light-colored eyering.
In the case of nesting, these birds like to remain underneath shrubs or small timber in addition to in open areas and forest routes. The feminine is answerable for constructing utilizing leaves, grass, mud, and pine needles.
After a couple of week, the finished nest is round 2 inches deep and 4 to six inches vast.
14. Bobolink
- Scientific title: Dolichonyx oryzivorus
- Size: 5.9 to eight.3 inches
- Wingspan: 10.6 inches
- Weight: 1.0 to 2.0 ounces
The Bobolink is a small songbird that likes to nest on the bottom on the base of vegetation the place the soil is moist. The feminine picks the situation throughout the territory of the male’s territory, then she collects the constructing supplies on her personal.
The feminine makes use of weed stems and useless vegetation to make a floorless nest and contours it with effective sedges and grasses straight on the bottom. The ultimate consequence measures about 2 inches deep and 4 to five inches vast.
15. Horned Lark
- Scientific title: Eremophila alpestris
- Size: 6.3 to 7.9 inches
- Wingspan: 11.8 to 13.4 inches
- Weight: 1.0 to 1.7 ounces
The Horned Lark will get its title from its head stripes that typically stand to appear to be small horns.
On this species, the feminine independently chooses the nest location both in a pure dip or a despair that she digs herself. She weaves a nest out of grass and roots, then makes use of feathers and fur for the liner.
In the long run, the nest measures 1.5 inches deep and three to 4 inches vast.
Pelagic Birds
Also referred to as seabirds, pelagic birds primarily reside at sea, coming to land primarily to breed. They embrace albatrosses, boobies, frigatebirds, and shearwaters.
16. Masked Booby
- Scientific title: Sula dactylatra
- Size: 29.1 to 33.9 inches
- Wingspan: 63.0 inches
- Weight: 45.9 to 82.9 ounces
Masked Boobies have white our bodies with black feathers on their tails and wings. Their beaks are pale yellow with a black define on the base that appears like a masks.
These birds construct their nests straight on the bottom in places that lack vegetation.
17. Black-footed Albatross
- Scientific title: Phoebastria nigripes
- Size: 25.2 to 29.1 inches
- Wingspan: 76.0-85.0 inches
- Weight: 77.6 to 151.7 ounces
A remarkably massive seabird, the Black-footed Albatross has brown plumage with a black beak and toes. It builds its nest on open areas of sand the place vegetation is scarce.
Flightless Birds
These are birds that may’t fly, comparable to:
18. Frequent Ostrich
- Scientific title: Struthio camelus
- Top: 6 to 9 toes in males, 5 to 7 toes in females
- Wingspan: 6.5 toes
- Weight: 139 to 320 kilos
In Ostriches, the male ostrich digs a number of holes inside its territory then the dominant feminine walks round and picks the nest that she prefers for laying eggs. An ostrich’s nest can match round as much as 40 eggs in a single go, so a number of females can share the identical nest for his or her eggs.
19. Frequent Emu
- Scientific title: Dromaius novaehollandiae
- Size: 55 to 65 inches
- Wingspan: 8 inches
- Weight: 66 to 100 kilos
The second-largest residing chook after the ostrich, the Frequent Emu builds its nest out of grass, roots, and different plant supplies. When the male finishes the nest, it measures 4 inches deep and 6 to 7 toes vast.
After the feminine lays the eggs, it’s the male who turns into answerable for incubating and elevating the chicks.
Closing Ideas
There you could have it, 19 species of birds that make nests on the bottom. Apart from the 7 sorts of birds we talked about above, further species of birds that nest on the bottom embrace:
- Owls such because the Burrowing Owl
- Nightjars such because the Jap Whip-poor-will
- Terns such because the Caspian Tern
- Falcons such because the Peregrine Falcon
- Loons such because the Pacific Loon
- Pelicans such because the American White Pelican
- Bustards