Stork’s nest: an overview of one of the most interesting structures in nature (14 photos)

Because of them, wires burn, and hundreds of people are left without electricity. Because of them, roofs of houses break. We are talking about stork nests. Monumental structures of birds put human infrastructure out of order. But how can an ordinary bird house cause so many problems for people?





Let's start with the fact that a stork nest is not at all ordinary. It is huge! Its diameter can reach 2.5 meters, and its weight is more than half a ton! An adult can easily fit in such nests. Storks are the second-largest nesters, second only to bald eagles — these maximalists can have nests up to 3 meters in diameter. Why do birds need such huge incubator-roosts?



A good nest should be plentiful!

Firstly, because storks themselves are not small birds. They grow up to 125 centimeters in height and can weigh about 5 kilograms. Now multiply this by the number of birds. A pair plus chicks — there can be from 1 to 4 of them. So it turns out that the nest should withstand at least 10 kg, and at most — 30!





At first, the chicks seem like babies. But after a couple of months...



Their sizes are no smaller than those of their parents!

Secondly, such mansions are not built in one season. Storks are monogamous birds, meaning they mate for life and nest together with their permanent partner every year. And here's what's interesting: the male can secretly mate with another female, and the female is not very keen on exclusive monogamy either, but they always build a house together and raise offspring together.



And here we'll have a nursery!

The birds don't make a new nest every time, they simply strengthen and finish the old one. Storks start nesting at the age of 3-4 and can live up to 35 years - and there you go, during all this time a one-room studio apartment in a tree turns into a multi-story penthouse. Well, after the death of their parents, their nest can be occupied by their chicks or another pair. Particularly strong nests serve birds for centuries!



Another feature: storks like to settle together. If one bird has found a comfortable corner, others will follow its example and take the nearest places.

In most countries, storks are considered a symbol of family happiness and comfort, homeland, love, peace, life and fertility. It is a great success if such a bird makes a nest near the house. Therefore, people have always arranged special places for the future home of birds. They found a tall and strong tree, cut off the top and built a flat area on which it would be convenient for storks to start building. And then people invented electricity and wires.



Is it just me, or do I feel some kind of tension in the house?..

Power line poles are always made as stable as possible so that no wind, snow or rain can cut off the communications. Storks also appreciated the reliability of such supports and began to nest on them en masse. Birds accustomed to being close to people are not afraid of people. As a result, according to research by Polish ornithologists, in some areas 90% of nests are built on roofs or poles!



When you want "not like the neighbors", but it still turns out the same.

This is bad for both the birds themselves and for people. The enormous weight of the nest presses on the pole and nearby wires, so they constantly break. Also, because of bird droppings, the wires oxidize and become bare. If you touch them with a paw, wing, or stick - and here you go, a fire! Both the birds themselves and the people whose houses were powered by electricity from these wires can suffer.



— Darling, look at this beautiful sunset! — It's not a sunset, our neighbors' house is on fire!

If a stork nests on a building, that's not good either. Not every roof can withstand the titanic weight of the structure. And even more so after rain and snow, when the nest becomes damp and even heavier. In addition, birds often choose abandoned houses and sheds, which are already dilapidated. Birds have not studied architecture and construction, they have no idea that emergency housing is not the best foundation for a family.



Some strange smoke coming out of your chimney...

If the birds settle on more or less new buildings, it is the people who suffer. Most often, storks nest on high ground. In the case of buildings, this is a chimney. So, because of the birds, the Zwanzger brewery in Germany had to completely stop production - the birds settled right on the pipe!



The "affordable housing" program has reached a new level!

Previously, such nests were simply removed and destroyed. But now they have come up with much more humane solutions. For example, special iron platforms are installed on the top of the pole, similar to bowls with long legs. They rise high enough above the support so that both the nest remains safe and the wires are intact.



If the nest has already been built, then the finished structure is lifted and placed in a special bowl. Then everyone is happy: both people and birds!

Another option is to arrange a move for the birds. This decision is made if the support under the nest has become very old and unreliable. Using a high-rise crane, the bird house is hooked with cables and moved to a more suitable place. Storks are so faithful to their buildings that they calmly endure such a forced relocation and then, as if nothing had happened, lay eggs in a new place.



Don't worry, the nest is not torn down, it is moved!

In order to preserve the buildings and not destroy the nests, they even came up with a special calculator. Researchers measured and weighed 145 nests, based on which they derived a convenient formula. With its help, you can calculate the weight and potential danger of collapse of a building or a pole under a structure built by birds.



By the way, if you've ever wondered what stork nests look like in nature, here's your answer. It's only modest for now. In a few years, it will become as gigantic as those that the birds place on poles.

Let's sum it up: yes, stork nests can pose a real threat to energy supplies and people. Broken wires, short circuits, fires - these are no jokes. Sometimes bird houses break through roofs - there's nothing funny about that either. But the birds don't do it to spite us. Human structures are just very convenient for them!