Friday, October 21, 2016

El hornero

The hornero is a bird who ows its name to the mud-house he builds every Fall with his mating bird. It has the shape of a mud oven just like people build in South America. They reinforce it by mixing the mud with grass, small sticks and herbs. It can be built on the branch of a tree or on a wooden post or even under a house roof. 

The hornero builds a new home every year after the Winter. The empty nests are occupied by insects or other birds after they move on.

 Its diet consists of terrestrial insects, worms and their eggs or larvas.

This nest provides warmth and
protection to their young offspring, three to five baby birds. They feed them for 18 days & keep them with them for three months.