Mahali weaver

Mahali weaver - a rather inconspicuous bird

It has a length of about 17 to 19 centimeters. The plumage is predominantly in various shades of brown, interspersed with some white tones. The broad eyebrows in a white tone are striking. Males and females have roughly the same coloration. The difference is usually just the beak, which is horn-colored in the female. The male, on the other hand, has a yellowish-brown beak, which is tinged with brownish to reddish shading. The mahali weaver is not yet among the endangered bird species. It is frequently encountered in its distribution areas. Only in a few regions is it found rarely or in small numbers.

Habitat

The mahali weaver lives in dry savannas, inland wetlands and rural gardens. The wetlands are mainly rivers, streams or narrow bays with waterfalls. The preferred living areas are in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Outside the breeding season, it is extremely sociable and noisy. The cackling and squeaking can constantly be heard in the colonies. It mainly feeds on arthropods, supplemented by seeds and fruit. It finds this food mainly in the foliage of trees, shrubs and vines. Spiders are picked from the web. The berries of mistletoe are particularly popular.

Breeding

The male usually mates with several females within a colony. The male is solely responsible for nest building. This is a spherical nest with a vertical entrance hole. The outside is lined with twigs, grasses, broad leaves and tendrils. Inside there are bast fibers, broad leaves, feathers, foliage and dry grasses. The nest is usually protected under the canopy of an African baobab tree and is held by a few branches. They often nest near other weaver birds. The breeding season of the mahali weavers is from July to February, with the peak from September to November. The female usually lays two to three eggs. In exceptional cases, there may be up to five eggs. These are incubated by both the male and the female for 12 to 13 days. The care of the young is also carried out jointly by the male and female. The young leave the nest after 17 days. They are then still supplied with food by the male and female for a short time.