For birds that have a need to build nests above ground, a desert has few options, so they learn to deal with the spines and use them to their advantage.
It seems the nests are re-used for several seasons and thus grow each year, as this one which rivals that of a Magpie’s.
The nest is in the brown-spined variant of the Cardon cactus (Trichocereus atacamensis ssp. pasacana).
Altitude: 3716 metres.
-20.242778,-67.626111
Last updated on 12 April 2022