Spider's webs; the reinforcing and duct-tape used by Broadbills, Common Ioras, Hummingbirds, Kinglets, Gnatcatchers and Vireo bird species.
Humans have analyzed spider's webs to understand why it is five times stronger than steel while being 1000 times thinner than a human hair. Each strand is made up of thousands of nano strands to attain this remarkable strength. Spider silk has been likened to the man-made Kevlar which is used to make bullet-proof vests. Some bird species are intelligent enough to utilize this strength in nest building. Locally, in Malaysia, with over 20 years in the field I have observed several species of broadbill utilizing web strands as well as the Common Iora, that has also been documented previously by a Singapore group. In the Americas; Hummingbirds, Kinglets, Gnatcatchers and Vireos have also been observed to embrace the same mode of structural engineering. Broadbills in Malaysia are birds of the forest that are not commonly seen during the non-breeding season but build loose pendulous nests near rivers, streams, or forest tracks during the nesting season. In Khao Yai national park in Tha