Birds of Botswana - Weavers (Ploceidae)

The spring of 2011 opened my eyes up to a lot of natures wonders and the hive of activity that takes place during this wonderful season. This could perhaps be the cause of my long absence from the African continent which I personally think is a continent that is full of life and feels alive. I have been observing the seasons and its changes on people and nature in my experiences when I was in different parts of the world, such as the dense jungles of Malaysia and the vast expansive forests and deserts of Australia, but nothing seems as wonderful as seeing nature in its full life in the continent of Africa.

One thing that particularly caught my eye was bird life and how it interacts with its natural environment which it seems is constantly evolving and adapting to changes in the environment brought about by modern day human existence. One of the birds that i have been following is the male African weaver, which comes from the Ploceidae family that is broken into 17 genera, with about 116 species all different in much the way that they are alike. Weaver birds are also known as weaver finches and this name comes from the intricate nature of their well built nests that seem as if they were built by a creature with tools and opposable thumbs. These birds can be found in most of Southern Africa and India.

The weaver is a very quick bird and very hard to photograph, so you can imagine the challenge one would have when using a point and shoot camera to capture such a bird in action live in nature. I  was fortunate during this spring to have the chance to capture some half decent shots of  a male lesser masked weaver (Ploceus intermedus) just as I was setting up my camera for a photoshoot in the backyard of a residence in Gaborone-West, Botswana.

This bird was building a nest and there is something particularly interesting about the manner in which it does it. Weavers are known to build their nests in colonies and usually a tree that has got the nests of the weavers will usually have more than one ranging between four and ten on mostly acacia trees. The nest building exercise is also known to be part of its mating behavior as it uses the nest to attract a female mating partner, the male bird is know to build several nests from which the potential mate selects one (usually the first one) which she will complete and make it their nesting home.

Birds build nests for protection from weather elements, predation and they also provide a shelter where the young will be raised and taken care of. I see many people that enjoy cutting down trees and tree branches for no apparent reason other than their own, and this puts pressure on the birds to relocate a new habitat. Usually this causes disruption to mating patterns of the birds and may lead to dwindling population numbers. Conserve  trees to help protect our beautiful creatures.

Posted in: africa birds,botswana birds,finches,waever