Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Black-headed Weaver

Dave Taylor's African Safari: Trophic Level II - The Herbivores - Black-headed Weaver - Page 13

Trophic Level II - The Herbivores
Black-headed Weaver
Page 13

Ploceus cucullatus

Length: 20 cm (8")

Status: Common, sometimes regarded as a pest because it can do crop damage

Habitat: Black-headed weavers are found in rainforest edges, savanna areas, grasslands and along riverine forests up to an altitude of 2 000 meters (6,560’).

Food: Black-headed weavers eat the seeds of wild or cultivated grains that they find either on plants or on the ground. This bird will also eat insects that it catches in the air or finds under bark.

Behavior: Black-headed weavers nest in colonies. Each nest will contain two or three eggs.

To make a nest, a weaver must be able to do two things: tie knots and weave. The nest begins as a belt loop hanging from a tree or reed. A knot is needed to attach the first blade to the branch or reed. The bird does this by holding the blade on the branch with one foot and then, using its beak, passing the end around the branch and threading it through. Then it is pulled tight. The male weaves grass and palm fibers in, making it into a globe-like structure with the entrance below. The female lines the nests once she has accepted it as being suitable for her needs. Nests are built in colonies and there may be hundreds hanging from the same isolated tree. They will also nest in reeds.

Black-headed weavers are one of the most common weaver birds. There are several species of weaver birds found in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Most species are very social and are found in large colonies. Males will have several mates and leave the raising of the young to the females.

Red-billed quelea are closely related to weavers and make similar nests. They

are usually seen in huge flocks that number into the hundreds of thousands. Nesting colonies often have 100,000 to 200,000 pairs. Such huge flocks compete with wildebeest and zebra for the grain produced on the plains.

Predators: Monkeys will sometimes raid a weaver colony for eggs and young birds. Egg-eating snakes are also a hazard. Adult birds may be taken by hawks and falcons.

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