Weaver (bird)
| Weavers | |
|---|---|
_male_nest_building.jpg) |
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| A male village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus bohndorffi), building his nest | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Passeroidea |
| Family: |
Ploceidae Sundevall, 1836 |
| Genera | |
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See text. |
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See text.
The Ploceidae are a family of small passerine birds, many of which are called weavers or weaverbirds. This name comes from the nests of intricately woven vegetation that many birds of the family make. The family as defined by most recent classifications is a monophyletic clade, excluding some birds that have historically been placed in the family, such as some of the sparrows, and including the monotypic subfamily Amblyospizinae. The family is believed to have originated in the mid-Miocene. All birds of the Ploceidae are native to the Old World, most in Africa south of the Sahara, though a few live in tropical areas of Asia. A few species have been introduced outside their native range.
These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. The family is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black. Some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.
Weavers get their name because of their elaborately woven nests, though some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within. The sociable weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. The sparrow weavers live in family units that employ cooperative breeding. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.
Many weaver species are gregarious and breed colonially. The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females. The weaverbird colonies may be found close to water bodies. They sometimes cause crop damage, notably the red-billed quelea, reputed to be the world's most numerous bird.
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Wikipedia