Baya Weaver - Ploceus philipinas
Today's picture is of a scavenging weaver on my terrace at the Sugar club in Mauritius. Just a few bread crumbs scattered at a hotel and life ticks will appear !
There are 111 species in the Weaver family and 14 are endangered. The bulk of the species are found in Africa but some like the Baya extend across South East Asia. I believe that Baya Weaver was introduced to Mauritius but has a stable breeding population in the wild. Weavers are named after their fantastic nests which are woven from grass and hang from trees. A snake hanging down from a branch is unable to curve back up through the entrance in order to rob the nest of eggs or young.
This is the weaver himself - a handsome male bird. The females are brown and look much more like a sparrow. He really stood out amongst the pigeons, bulbuls and other small birds that turned up to take advantage of my free food.
Baya Weaver - Ploceus philipinas
Sugar Beach, Mauritius
July 2010
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