Buffalo weaver
The buffalo weaver is a unique subfamily of birds within the weaver family, known for their impressive nest-building skills using grass and other plant materials. These birds inhabit the semi-arid scrub and grassland regions of sub-Saharan Africa, thriving in environments that may appear dry with limited tree cover. Buffalo weavers are characterized by their distinctive plumage; two of the three species feature black feathers, while the third has a striking combination of white and brown feathers with a scarlet rump. Typically measuring between six and a half to seven and a half inches long, these birds are adept foragers, relying on seeds, insects, and fruit found on the ground.
Known for their loud and chattering calls, buffalo weavers are social birds that breed in colonies. They form monogamous pairs and collaboratively build large, dome-shaped nests from thorny twigs, which offer protection to their chicks from predators. The female typically lays three to four pale blue or gray eggs, marked with olive-colored speckles, and the incubation period lasts about two weeks. With an average lifespan of approximately twenty years, buffalo weavers play a significant role in their ecosystems through their foraging and nesting behaviors. The three recognized species include the White-billed buffalo weaver, Red-billed buffalo weaver, and White-headed buffalo weaver.
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Buffalo weaver
The buffalo weavers are one distinct division, a subfamily, within the family of weavers, birds recognized for their skill in weaving nests from grass and other plant matter. Buffalo weavers live in semi-arid scrub and grassland regions of Africa south of the Sahara.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Ploceidae
Genus: Various (see below)
Species: Various (see below)
Two of the three buffalo weaver species have black plumage, or feathering, while the third has white and brown plumage with a scarlet rump. All three are six and a half to seven and a half inches (sixteen and a half to nineteen centimeters) long.
These birds live in the savanna and acacia, thorn-bush scrub, and semi-arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Although such habitats may be dry and have relatively few trees, the birds are able to survive by foraging for seeds, insects, and fruit on the ground.
Buffalo weavers are noisy, colonial breeders, with harsh chattering and rasping calls. These birds breed in pairs and are monogamous. Females and males build their nest together. They weave large, messy, domed nests from thorny twigs. The thonrny nests give the chicks protection from potential predators. Females each lay three to four eggs. The incubation period is about two weeks. An egg is pale blue or gray and has olive-colored markings on its one-inch-long (two and a half-centimeter-long) shell.
The average lifespan of buffalo weavers is about twenty years.
The three species of buffalo weavers are:
- White-billed buffalo weaver (Bubalornis albirostris)
- Red-billed buffalo weaver (Bubalornis niges)
- White-headed buffalo weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli)
Bibliography
Myers, P., et al. “Bubalornis Albirostris.” Animal Diversity Web, 2024, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bubalornis‗albirostris/classification/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
“White-Headed Buffalo Weaver.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/white-headed-buffalo-weaver. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.
“White-Headed Buffalo Weaver.” Saint Louis Zoo, 2024, stlzoo.org/animals/birds/perching-birds/white-headed-buffalo-weaver. Accessed 9 Apr. 2024.