First of all find a good spot to start building.

Then walk around the area and try to find a good supply of mud.

Next start by building the base of the oven.

Keep adding mud to the walls which soon start to get higher!

Keep working hard and build up the back of the nest.

Try to get your partner involved in the project: Two beaks make light work!

Get your partner to bring some mud for you so you don’t have to stop work!

Take a little time together to sit back and admire what you have build so far.

Finally the nest is finished and the hard work of bring up the next generation begins!

The Rufous Hornero, or Red Ovenbird (Furnarius rufus) is a common bird of southern South America, to the east of the Andes, and is the national bird of Argentina.  It constructs a very characteristic, oven-shaped mud nest.  It is a very common  and confiding species and the nests can be seen on all manner of man-made structures (e.g. fence posts, telegraph posts, buildings and even traffic lights!).  The sexes are faithful and a pair build the nest together in the early summer; a small clutch of eggs is laid inside the nest where they are incubated for 2-3 weeks.  These photographs were taken in October 2012 in Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, Buenos Aires, Argentina.