  Systems of randomly packed, macroscopic elements, from jammed spherical
grains to tangled long filaments, represent a broad class of disordered
meta-materials with a wide range of applications and manifestations in nature.
A `bird nest' presents itself at an interface between hard round grains
described by granular physics to long soft filaments, the center of textile
material science. All of these randomly packed systems exhibit forms of self
assembly, evident through their robust packing statistics, and a common,
unusual elastoplastic response to oedometric compression. In reviewing packing
statistics, mechanical response characterization and consideration of boundary
effects, we present a perspective that attempts to establish a link between the
bulk and local behaviour of a pile of sand and a wad of cotton, demonstrating
the nest's relationship with each. Finally, potential directions for impactful
applications are outlined.
