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Why birds decorate their nests with weird and unnatural objects

Puzzlingly, many birds add human-made material to their nests with no obvious function – now there is evidence that these home improvements might ward off predators

By Sarah Philip

23 May 2025

Red kites sometimes put plastic objects in their nests

Mike Read / Alamy Stock Photo

Birds may decorate nests with artificial objects and feathers to deter magpies and ravens from taking their eggs.

Many birds have been observed placing human-made objects in their nests, such as plastic, wires or even anti-bird spikes from buildings. Often, these things seem to have no role as insulation or structural support, and may make nests more conspicuous to predators.

Magne Husby at Nord University and Tore Slagsvold at the University of…

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