SCIENCE LAB SEARCHES : SOCIAL INFLUENCERS

'' The key to building the perfect nest? Stick with the local architecture. ''

Birds can be picky when building their nests. They experiment with materials, waffle over which twig to use, take them apart and start again. It's a complex, fiddly process that can seem to reflect careful thought.

'' It's so fascinating,'' said Maria Tello-Ramos, a behavioral ecologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Research led by Dr. Tello-Ramos, published in the journal Science, provides evidence that groups of birds that build their homes together learn to follow consistent architectural styles, distinct from the styles just a few dozen feet away.

The fighting upends assumptions that nest building is an innate behavior based on environment.

As important for survival as building is, scientists know relatively little about it. Most of what is known about bird nests has come from studying their role in reproductive successes, focusing on their usefulness in protecting birds and eggs from cold, wind and predators.

'' The focus has been on the structure, not the behavior that built it,'' Dr. Tello-Ramos said. She said she found that surprising, because nest building is one of the rare behaviors that has a tangible product,  something that can be measured and provide insight into why birds behave the way they do. [ Rebecca Dzombak ]