Weaver
Four of the nine species master this web-building knot technique. These are the weaver bird, the sparrow weaver, the thick-billed weaver, and the Vieillot's weaver. The nest is "woven" by the male from plant fibers, wool, feathers, and spider webs. Th…
The weaver - at home throughout South Africa
Four of the nine species master this web technique of knotting. These are the weaver bird, the sparrow weaver, the thick-billed weaver and the vidua. The nest is "woven" by the male from plant fibres, wool, feathers and cobwebs. The nests are partly spherical and partly bottle-shaped. Some nests are also divided. The opening is always at the bottom and has a small tube as an entrance. Most nests are also reused for breeding the next time.
Appearance
The plumage of the weaver is very colourful. The colours yellow, green, black and red predominate. On the Garden Route, near Cape Town, the green weaver is frequently found. The sizes vary depending on the species. The males are between eight and 24 centimetres, the females are about 10 centimetres smaller. The weaver is mostly found in steppes and savannas. It likes to live in towns with rivers, ponds and lakes. Weaver birds are extremely sociable birds. In the vicinity of Cape Town, you can sometimes find up to 200 nests in one tree. They mainly feed on seeds, such as grass seeds, and small insects. They also eat the fruits of trees and shrubs.
Breeding
The courtship display of the male is extremely worth seeing. It chirps loudly to attract the females. First, the female inspects the nest from all sides. If it does not like it, it pecks through the holding thread so that the nest falls to the ground. If the female likes the nest, it is lined by the male. The male then provides a soft lining in the nest and the next day the female lays the eggs there. The two to six eggs laid by the female are then incubated by the female and the male builds the next nest for another female. The eggs are white or bluish.
When the sun rises in the morning, the weavers, which mostly live in colonies, start a loud chirping. When 50 of these birds chirp, it sounds as if there are at least a thousand. However, this stops after about half an hour, but the loud chirping starts again at sunset. However, as soon as the sun has set, there is silence in the colony. During the day, the birds are constantly busy and it is a joy to watch them build their nests and the like.
