Avian Architecture: How Birds Design, Engineer and Build

This new book, by Peter Goodfellow, is reviewed by Henry Fountain in today's New York Times.

Fountain writes: "…These are where birds’ engineering skills shine. The song thrush, for example, a common European bird, begins building her (in many species, the female does the work) cup nest with a foundation of sturdy twigs, then adds moss and dried grass to form a crude cup, which is lined with wood pulp and mud and decorated on the outside with moss and leaves for camouflage.…"

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/science/21bird.html