Birdwatch: Baya Weaver, known for making retort-shaped nests

“Before selecting the male, the female inspects the male’s nest. If a female rejects it, the male will reconstruct the nest. Indeed, date palm trees are the best for nests, other thorny trees are also on the list of this bird. They prefer to construct nests on trees near water bodies,” he says.

Once the birds are paired, the male completes the nest by adding the entrance tunnel. The female is tasked to complete the interior of the nest with blobs of mud. A male constructs many nests and is courted by many females and vice-versa. Both males and females are polygamous.

Though Baya Waver is categorised as a very common bird in ISCR, one can only get its sighting in farmlands where date palm trees are found. This season is the best time to see this bird to observe its behaviour. There are many date palm trees en route to Mansa Devi from the side of the regulatory end of Sukhna Lake.

I found a flock of Baya Weavers on one of the date palm trees near village Saketri near Mansa Devi in Panchkula. Most of the males were indulging in nest making, attracting females and one of the males was successful in attracting a female, which was sitting inside the nest. The male was busy fetching stuff to complete the partially constructed nest. Another male was sitting on the top of its nest perhaps in wait for a perfect match.

The identification marks of a breeding male are bright yellow crown and beat, olive-brown upperparts streaked above and yellow wash to the mantle. Female sandy buff upper parts streaked, buff supercilium, white line through the eye, white belly and throat, non-breeding male like female but has yellow supercilium.

The female lays about two to four white eggs and incubates them for about 14 to 17 days. Males may sometimes assist in feeding the chicks. The chicks leave the nest after about 17 days. After mating with a female the male typically courts other females at other partially constructed nests.