Birds Without Borders | Baya weavers, the birds that attract mates with their nesting skills

One may think of it as mean behaviour, but the male bird is also opportunistic and aware of his talent. Once a female likes his nest, he courts her and completes the nest. She modifies the nest a little as per her choice and lays eggs. Meanwhile, the male weaves another nest and starts persuading other females. If the breeding season is not over, he may also persuade a third female. Thus, baya weaver birds show polygynous mating behaviour.

Baya weavers (scientific name: ploceus philippinus) are very careful in selecting their nesting sites. They prefer either thorny shrub-like trees such as the gum arabic tree (acacia nilotica) and white-barked acacia (acacia leucophloea) on edges of agricultural fields or grasslands and trees whose branches are hanging over a waterbody or a well. These birds also build their nests on almost all species of palms that grow tall. The obvious reason is safety. Predators such as snakes can not climb a thorny shrub or a hanging nest. Hence, such nests provide safety for the eggs and young ones.

A baya weaver uses its beak and legs to weave and knot. When they weave the nest, the strips are green. It is beautiful to watch them fetching strips from a nearby farm, waving them in the air like a dupatta while in flight and then weaving them meticulously for building a nest. Over time, the strips get dried and the nest starts appearing yellow. They roughly take 18 days and fetch strips approximately 500 times to build a nest.

Baya weavers look as big as sparrows. However, the colours are different. Baya weavers have a bright yellow crown, chest and mantle features. The back and throat are brown. The legs are light brown and the beak is thick, conical and black. They also have streaks on the back. Females are dull compared to males.

Where can one find them?

The females have streaks on their upper body, wings and sides but do not have black throat. Their stomach is yellowish. Baya weavers can be usually found near trees having long leaves such as palm and coconut trees, and in thorny shrubs near agricultural lands. They are talkative and chat in harsh chits and humming whistles. Their call sounds like “cher-wiu”.

Baya weavers mainly eat seeds and grains. However, sometimes they also eat insects and frogs. They go in a group to the agricultural fields to eat harvested crops. They eat during the day and rest at night, preferably near a waterbody. They roost together and enjoy each other’s company like a social group. Their colonies often have 20 to 30 of them living together.

Often they perform various manoeuvres in flight and sometimes take dust baths, like sparrows. They are 15 cm in size, weigh 28 g and live for a decade or a bit more. Their breeding time is usually the monsoon. The female lays two to four eggs and the chicks come out in 14 to 17 days. Mainly it is the female who does the feeding.

Baya weavers are common resident birds of Gujarat. They are also found in other parts of India and Southeast Asia. Three species of the bird—baya weavers, black-headed weavers and streaked weavers—are found in India. Two other species of weaver birds—streaked weaver birds and black-breasted weaver birds—are also found in Gujarat. While the former species is found only in Kutch, the latter is fairly common to the Saurashtra and central Gujarat regions. It is also found in some parts of Kutch and the north Gujarat and south Gujarat regions.

Baya weavers are categorised as “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Their population remains stable.

Dr Jayendra M Bhalodiya is an assistant professor at Ahmedabad University. He is affiliated with the Bird Conservation Society, Gujarat, and Eco Friends Gujarat.