WEAVERS - BIRD OF THE MONTH - JUNE & JULY 2014*

[Flutterby]

We saw this strange interaction between a Buffalo Weaver and a Grey Lourie at Satara in 2012. Not sure what the weaver was doing!

[Flutterby]

Female Red-billed Buffalo Weaver

[Dewi]

Red-billed Buffalo-weaver.

Rooibosrant Dam, Kruger National Park.

[Tina]

we never saw buffalo weavers in September, but in March 2013 we saw them

at the nest on the S 100



and at Leeupan





and juveniles in Satara camp

[DeeR]

This was the first time we had seen one of these birds. He was busy building a huge nest & obviously very proud of it & was furiously calling out hoping to attract a female

Chobe National Park, Botswana

[Flutterby]

Buffalo Weaver's and their nest - Transport Dam, April 2014

[Amoli]

Buffalo weavers at their nests at Sunset dam.

[Amoli]

I have only seen Buffaloe weavers twice - and my one pic is not so great.
Their distribution is high up in South Africa and into neighbouring countries.
They are 'scarce', accorrding to Roberts, in KNP
Maybe pictures of them are also scarce.

[Flutterby]

In our last 9 trips to Kruger we have only seen them twice.

[Lisbeth]

Next birdie................

Genus Sporopipes
- The Scaly-feathered Weaver (Sporopipes squamifrons), also known as the Scaly-feathered Finch, is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.


Description
An unmistakable small finch with a black-and-white freckled forehead, black malar stripes, and white-fringed wing and tail feathers. White-tipped black feathers on crown and wings give 'scaly' appearance. Has a pink bill and black malar stripe.
Sexes are alike.
Juveniles similar to adults but lack the black malar stripe and scaling on forehead. Bill dusky or horn-yellow.

Distribution
Near-endemic to southern Africa, occurring from Zimbabwe and northern South Africa to Botswana, Namibia and the south-western Angola.

Habitat
Dry Acacia woodland, particularly with small trees; also farmyards and gardens.

Diet
The Scaly-feathered Weaver forages on the ground, feeding mainly on small seeds, with insects being fed to their young.

Breeding
Monogamous, usually solitary nester, although multiple nests may occasionally be clustered in a small area. The nest is a hollow ball made of dry grass stems and inflorescences with a short entrance tunnel, while the interior is lined with fine grass flowers. It often uses the stems and attached flowers of the aromatic Pentzia plant, possibly because the smell repulses ectoparasites. It is typically placed in the thin branches of a thorny tree or bush, sometimes conjoining with an old flycatcher, shrike or weaver nest. Egg-laying season is year round, peaking from about December-June. It lays 2-7 eggs, which are incubated for about 10-12 days. The chicks leave the nest after about 14-18 days.

Call
Shrill kreep krop, kreep krop, as well as soft chizz, chizz, chizz, given by small groups in flight.

Status
Common, near endemic resident. Generally sedentary and usually in small groups of 6-20 birds.