Cool Facts About The Red Headed Weaver
- The Red Headed Weaver is a member of the weaver family, which are small, finch like birds that are known for building intricate nests
- These birds tend to live and breed within flocks. When the weavers are foraging for food, they may also join the flocks of multiple other bird species to assist with foraging
- Red Headed Weavers are found throughout most of South East Africa. They prefer broad leafed woodlands and grasslands and tend to avoid both very wet and very dry climate areas.
- Red Headed Weavers are capable of catching insect prey while in flight and will also pluck spiders directly from their webs.
Bright Little Birds
The name for this particular weaver derives from the breeding season coloration of the male of the species. While he remains darker during the rest of the year, when the time for courtship arises, he sports a bright red head, breast, and upper back. The rest of his body is grey with a bright orange bill. Females have a quite different appearance, however. Their heads are a duller yellow, blending into a white breast with grey wings and back. Chicks and juveniles are duller in color than the adults. Regardless of subtype, Weavers, as a whole, are small species of birds, weighing only 25 to 30 grams and measuring around 14cm in length.
The Intricate Weaver
Usually monogamous, male Red Headed Weavers occasionally will mate with multiple females within the colony. As their names implies, Weavers construct some of the most impressive nests within the Animal Kingdom. Using twigs, leaves, and grasses, Males build the nests, which positioned beneath tree canopies (although manmade structures may also be used) in the shape of a bottle with a hole at the bottom. If a female approves of the nest, she will move in and line the interior with feathers, bark, and other materials. Between one and four eggs are laid at a time and incubated by the female for 12 to 13 days. Both parents feed and care for the chicks, which will leave the nest after 17 to 20 days.
