ArticlePhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2023
Beak shape and nest material use in birds.
Article in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Comparison of Nest Structure and Materials in Three Species of Penduline Tits (Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Beak height and nest structure shape avian bite force.Zoological research · 2026Article
- Fit for purpose? Analysis of the relationship between skull, beak shape and feeding ecology in Psittaciformes.Journal of anatomy · 2026Article
- Jackdaws Use Lynx Scat in Nests: Implications for Iberian Lynx Genetic Monitoring.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Cellular, Molecular, and Genetic Mechanisms of Avian Beak Development and Evolution.Annual review of genetics · 2024Review
- Differential use of nest materials and niche space among avian species within a single ecological community.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Brain Gene Regulatory Networks Coordinate Nest Construction in Birds.Molecular biology and evolution · 2024Article
- Beakiation: how a novel parrot gait expands the locomotor repertoire of living birds.Royal Society open science · 2024Article
- The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Article
- Bird nest building: visions for the future.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The evolution of behaviour can both influence, and be influenced by, morphology. Recent advances in methods and data availability have facilitated broad-scale investigations of physical form and behavioural function in many contexts, but the relationship between animal morphology and object manipulation-particularly objects used in construction-remains largely unknown. Here, we employ a new global database of nest materials used by 5924 species of birds together with phylogenetically informed random forest models to evaluate the link between beak shape and these nest-building materials. We find that beak morphology, together with species diet and access to materials, can predict nest-material use above chance and with high accuracy (68-97%). Much of this relationship, however, is driven by phylogenetic signal and sampling biases. We therefore conclude that while variation in nest material use is linked with that of beak shape across bird species, these correlations are modulated by the ecological context and evolutionary history of these species. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary ecology of nests: a cross-taxon approach'.
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