Weaver birds

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Weaver birds
Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)

Village Weaver ( Ploceus cucullatus )

Systematics
Subclass : New-jawed birds (Neognathae)
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
without rank: Passerida
Superfamily : Passeroidea
Family : Weaver birds
Scientific name
Ploceidae
Sundevall , 1836

The weaver birds (Ploceidae), also Widah finches , are a species-rich family from the order of the passerine birds (Passeriformes). The family comprises 117 species in 15 genera. The conspicuous nest construction, which is characteristic of many species of weaver birds, gave it its name.

Occurrence

Most species inhabit forested areas, bush or open grasslands in Africa south of the Sahara . Few species live and breed in the tropical areas of Asia .

Way of life and characteristics

Many species of weaver birds are culture followers . That means they live close to people. The height is between 8 and 24 centimeters. The breeding dress of the male weaver birds usually has a yellow-black, gray-black, or black-and-white plumage. The females are usually colored more inconspicuously. When resting, the male resembles the female. They have a short, strong beak that is relatively thick at the root.

nutrition

The noisy and sociable weaver birds feed on insects , fruits , grains and seeds . They are often found in large groups and, like the bloodbeak weaver ( Quelea quelea ), can cause enormous damage in the grain fields. The swarms of bloodbeak weavers can include up to 100,000 individuals who roam a wide area in search of food. For East Africa it has been proven that individual swarms cover more than 1000 kilometers during their migration.

Nest building

A village weaver on a finished nest

Many species of weaver birds are colony breeders. The colonies can include thousands of birds. Often the hanging nests hang close together in the treetops of the trees.

construction

Community nest of the settler weaver on a telegraph pole
The entrances to the individual breeding caves of the community nest point downwards at an angle so that the nest cannot be plundered by birds of prey.

Among the weaver birds, it is predominantly the brightly colored, polygamous males who build the intricately woven, artful hanging nests with long, flexible and flexible plant fibers, feathers or wool. With the nests that are created before courtship, the males try to win over the more plainly colored females. In many species, multiple nests are built by a male to ensure that the female will adopt one of the nests. If a nest is accepted by a female, it takes care of the expansion of the interior. The nests have a spherical or bottle-shaped appearance, the entrance areas are either to the side or downwards. The shape of the nest and the technique of nest building vary from species to species. In certain species such as the short-winged weaver ( Ploceus nigricollis ) the nest has a long, downward-hanging entrance tube. The nest material is attached to the branches of trees, in bushes or to reeds with special knots and loops. The flexible plant fibers are wrapped around a branch. Then the collected blades of grass are linked. While the bird is holding the stalk, it devours the end of the stalk with its beak and over time creates a freely swinging shell that is gradually expanded into a nest.

In addition to the individual nests, community nests are also built. In the settler weavers ( Philetairus socius ) or also in the buffalo weavers ( Bubalornis niger ), the males build together on a large nest made of dry grass that is laid in trees or on telephone poles. It can reach a height of about three meters and a width of about 4.5 meters. The nest is divided into many demarcated areas and is inhabited by several hundred birds. The tube-like entry holes are located below the nest. A community nest is constantly being built. Therefore it can happen that trees collapse under the weight. It is particularly problematic with electricity or telephone poles. In order to counteract a collapse of the mast, the nests often have to be destroyed by humans.

Individual phases

Individual phases of nest building using the example of the village weaver ( Ploceus cucullatus ):

  • Ploceus cucullatus spilonotus building a nest 050728 04w.jpg
  • Ploceus cucullatus spilonotus building a nest 050728 05w.jpg
  • Ploceus cucullatus spilonotus building a nest 050728 07w.jpg
  • Ploceus cucullatus spilonotus building a nest 050728 08w.jpg
  • Ploceus cucullatus spilonotus building a nest 050728 09w.jpg
  • Ploceus cucullatus spilonotus building a nest 050728 03w.jpg

Predators

A Cape Cobra in a community nest of weaver birds near Simplon (Namibia)

During the breeding season, the chicks are threatened by large birds such as the eagle and marabou , as well as by snakes , which are said to have more difficult access to the chicks due to the often narrow entrance holes below the nest and the location of the nest at the tips of the branches.

Genera and species

The classification of the weaver birds follows the current (2019) list of the International Ornithological Union , which indicates the following 117 species in 15 genera:

  • Amblyospiza (1 species)
    • White- fronted weaver ( Amblyospiza albifrons )
Scarlet weaver
( Anaplectes rubriceps )
Spiegelwida
( Euplectes albonotatus )
Madagascar weaver
( Foudia madagascariensis )
Settlement weaver
( Philetairus socius )
Neck tape weaver
( Ploceus castaneiceps )
Jackson weaver
( Ploceus jacksoni )
Schwarzkopfweber
( Ploceus melanocephalus )
Monk's Weaver
( Ploceus pelzelni )
Masked Weaver
( Ploceus velatus )
Yolk weaver
( Ploceus vitellinus )
Rüppell's Weaver
( Ploceus galbula )
Bloodbeak weaver
( Quelea quelea )

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Frank Gill & David Donsker, IOC World Bird List v 8.2  : Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers
  2. ^ Anthony Cheke, Julian Hume: Lost Land of the Dodo. An Ecological History of Mauritius, Réunion & Rodrigues . Poyser, London 2008, ISBN 0-7136-6544-0 .
  3. ↑ Yellow-footed weaver ( Ploceus flavipes ) (Chapin, 1916) at Avibase

Web links

Commons : Weaver Birds (Ploceidae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files