Weaver
Weavers are small, finch-like birds belonging to the family Ploceidae, predominantly found in the Old World regions of Africa, Europe, and Asia. This diverse family consists of around 122 species across 15 genera, with the largest genus, Ploceus, containing approximately 67 species. Weavers are renowned for their exceptional nesting abilities, constructing intricate, spherical nests using grass and other plant materials. These nests often hang from tree branches and feature long, protective entrance tunnels that can extend up to two feet in length.
While weavers typically inhabit savannas, forests, and even urban areas, their diets mainly consist of seeds, plant matter, and insects, with some species adapting to consume human food scraps. Their mating behaviors vary; some species are monogamous, while others practice polygyny. Female weavers incubate eggs for about 10 to 14 days, and fledglings require parental care for several weeks. Although weaver populations are generally stable, certain species are at risk, with a few classified as Near Threatened, Vulnerable, or Endangered by the IUCN Red List.
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Weaver
Weavers are famous for their great skill in weaving their nests from various materials, hence their name. Some of the commonly-noticed nests are those which suspend from branches and have long entrance tunnels up to two feet (60 centimeters) long on the bottoms of the nests.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Ploceidae
Genus: Various (see below)
Species: Various (see below)
Members in the family of weavers are divided into 15 genera and about 122 species. The genus Ploceus has around 67 species, making it the largest genus of the family. The genus Amblyospiza, on the other hand, is the smallest genus with only one species, Amblyospiza albifrons, or the thick-billed weaver.
In general, weavers are small, passerine, finch-like birds which originally lived only on the Old World continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia. As time has passed, however, some species were introduced into North, Central, and South America, as well as the Australasian region. Weavers' habitats vary greatly and extend to the extremes of deserts and wintery mountains, while including nearly everything in between. The most common places to find weaver species are in the savannas and forests of Africa. Some also populate semi-arid, brush, and scrub regions as well as open plains. Still others live comfortably near people in gardens, towns, and villages.
The smallest weavers are four inches (10 centimeters) long, and the largest weavers, the long-tailed widow birds, are just over two feet (65 centimeters) long, including their tails. Plumage (feathering) colors include browns, blacks, grays, and whites, as well as some species having steely-blue, bright-yellow, scarlet, or red plumage. Plumage patterns vary also between species.
Weavers are known for their great skill in weaving grass and other plant material into spherical, domed nests. Many of these nests hang from tree branches or other sturdy locations. They have entrances on the bottoms that the birds enter through protective, woven tunnels. These tunnels may be up to two feet (60 centimeters) long. Other nests are placed on the ground in the grass and are globe-like.
Like many, many other birds, weavers' diets include seeds, plant matter, and insects in varying amounts. Some species which live close to people may also eat bread and other household scraps. Natural predators for any of the weavers are not specifically known, but it is safe to suppose that some mammals or reptiles may prey upon these birds. It is not known how long a weaver may survive in the wild. Although people have caged some weavers and cared for them, the birds do not survive well in captivity.
Mating of weavers is varied among species. While some are monogamous, others are polygynous. Nest construction tasks also vary among species. Sometimes males construct them alone, while other times the construction is a cooperative task between the male and female. After mating, females lay between two and six eggs and then incubate them for 10 to 14 days before they hatch. In monogamous species, the male and female take turns incubating. In polygynous species, only the female incubates while the male collects food. Hatchlings typically take two to three weeks to fledge, or fly, and remain under parental care for a minimum of three weeks.
Generally, weaver populations are not threatened. However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, 11 species of weavers are Near Threatened (NT), four species are Vulnerable (VU), seven are Endangered (EN), and one species, the Reunion Fody, is Extinct (EX).
Some species of the family Ploceidae are:
White-billed buffalo weaver Bubalornis albirostris
Red-billed buffalo weaver Bubalornis niger
White-headed buffalo weaver Dinemellia dinemelli
White-browed sparrow-weaver Plocepasser mahali
Chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver Plocepasser superciliosus
Donaldson Smith's sparrow-weaver Plocepasser donaldsoni
Chestnut-backed sparrow-weaver Plocepasser rufoscapulatus
Rufous-tailed weaver Histurgops ruficauda
Grey-capped social weaver Pseudonigrita arnaudi
Black-capped social weaver Pseudonigrita cabanisi
Sociable weaver Philetairus socius
Scaly-feathered weaver Sporopipes squamifrons
Speckle-fronted weaver Sporopipes frontalis
Thick-billed weaver Amblyospiza albifrons
Baglafecht weaver Ploceus baglafecht
Bannerman's weaver Ploceus bannermani
Bates's weaver Ploceus batesi
Black-chinned weaver Ploceus nigrimentus
Bertram's weaver Ploceus bertrandi
Bibliography
BirdLife International. “Reunion Fody.” IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 1 Oct. 2016, www.iucnredlist.org/species/103811601/119552278. Accessed 11 May 2024.
“Family Ploceidae - Weavers and Allies.” Oiseaux Birds, www.oiseaux-birds.com/page-family-ploceidae.html. Accessed 11 May 2024.
“Ploceidae.” Animalia, animalia.bio/ploceidae. Accessed 11 May 2024.
Winkler, David W., et al. “Weavers and Allies (Ploceidae).” Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 4 Mar. 2020, birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/plocei1/cur/introduction. Accessed 11 May 2024.