Weaver bird nest hanging from tree branch, Thailand
Image details
Contributor:
Scenics & Science / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
AJM27TFile size:
50 MB (2.2 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3413 x 5120 px | 28.9 x 43.3 cm | 11.4 x 17.1 inches | 300dpiMore information:
Weaver birds build globular nests with side or bottom entrances often extended into tubes or spouts. The nest fabric, usually strong and pliant, is woven by the use of intricate stitching techniques. The nest of the social weaver, Philetairus socius, is particularly elaborate, with vertical tunnels leading to canopied retort-shaped chambers. Many species are colonial; the extreme is reached by the red-billed dioch, Quelea quelea, an African bird that breeds in large colonies with up to 10 million nests. They migrate in locustlike flocks, causing great damage to crops. Some widowbirds do not build nests but lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and trick them into raising the young, which have markings that resemble those of the foster parents' young. Weaver birds, also known as weaver finches, get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds'), 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 several spherical woven nests within. The sparrow weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward. The weavers are gregarious birds which often breed colonially. The birds build their nests together, 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 weaver bird colonies may be found close to water bodies.