Many forest animals have homes made of earth. The duck-billed platypus digs a burrow alongside the streams that flow through Australian forests. The coral snake takes refuge in burrows that it makes in the understory of tropical and subtropical forests of South America and further north. Such rodents as rabbits and voles live in similar homes, and many invertebrates do the same. The earthworm is a prime example. It lives in the soil all year around. In winter, it burrows far below the surface and enjoys a cozy home where the frost cannot reach. Earth is also the principle component of the large mounds that termites construct in Africa.
Rock also serves as a component for animal homes in the forest. The caves in which bats reside are natural rock formations. Tigers and bears also find shelter in caves that are partly composed of rock. The rock hyrax gets its name because it likes to live in the crevices of rocks.
Trees die and deteriorate, and their remains make comfortable wooden homes for many animals. For examples, some beetles have the ability to bore into wood, so their larvae spend the winter in logs. Woodpeckers can chisel their nests in the trunks of living trees. When the woodpeckers leave, the deserted dwelling might be occupied by a bluebird, a chickadee or even a screech owl. Chickadees can gouge out their own nest in dead softwood trees. Beavers cut down slender trees with their sharp teeth and use the wood to build their lodges. Some wasps make nests out of wood. By judicious mastication, they convert wood fiber into a sort of paper and use it to construct their homes.
Forests have an abundance of vegetation, and birds use it as materials for their nests. Such birds as robins make their nests out of grass. Wrens also use grass and might add a few twigs, while orioles might add vines, string and hair to their grass nests. Even those birds that nest in tree trunk cavities use additional materials as lining. For example, chickadees decorate their wooden houses with such materials as moss and feathers. Great crested flycatchers use old skin that a molting snake has sloughed off. One of the most innovative nest builders is the bowerbird. The male builds a bower-shaped nest on the ground. To attract a female, he adorns the entrance with colorful materials, such as colored stones and flowers.