Baya Weaver
Encyclopedia
The Baya Weaver is a weaverbird found across South
and Southeast Asia
. Flocks of these birds are found in grasslands, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growth and they are best known for their hanging retort shaped nests woven from leaves. These nest colonies are usually found on thorny trees or palm fronds and the nests are often built near water or hanging over water where predators cannot reach easily. They are widespread and common within their range but are prone to local, seasonal movements mainly in response to rain and food availability.
Among the population variations, three subspecies are recognized. The nominate race philippinus is found through much of mainland India
while burmanicus is found eastwards into Southeast Asia. The population in southwest India is darker above and referred to as subspecies travancoreensis.
s. They have a stout conical bill and a short square tail. Non-breeding males and females look alike, dark brown streaked fulvous buff above, plain (unstreaked) whitish fulvous below, eyebrow long and buff coloured, bill is horn coloured and no mask. Breeding males have a bright yellow crown, dark brown mask, blackish brown bill, upper parts are dark brown streaked with yellow, with a yellow breast and cream buff below.
for both their food (feeding on seedlings in the germination stage as well as on early stages of grain) and nesting material. They also feed on insects (including butterflies), sometimes taking small frogs and molluscs, especially to feed their young. Their seasonal movements are governed by food availability. Their calls are a continuous chit-chit-... sometimes ending in a wheezy cheee-eee-ee that is produced by males in a chorus. A lower intensity call is produced in the non-breeding season.
They are occasionally known to descend to the ground and indulge in dust bathing.
In captivity, individuals are known to form stable peck orders
.
s. The breeding condition is initiated by environmental characters such as day length and comes to an end after summer although this termination is not influenced by short day length as in temperate birds. They nest in colonies typically of up to 20-30, close to the source of food, nesting material and water. Baya Weavers are best known for the elaborately woven nests constructed by the males. These pendulous nests are retort shaped, with a central nesting chamber and a long vertical tube that leads to a side entrance to the chamber. The nests are woven with long strips of paddy leaves, rough grasses and long strips torn from palm fronds. Each strip can be between 20–60 cm in length. A male bird is known to make up to 500 trips to complete a nest. The birds use their strong beaks to strip and collect the strands, and to weave and knot them while building their nests. The nests are often built hanging over water from palm trees and often suspended from thorny Acacia
s and in some cases from telephone wires. Although thorny trees are preferred, they may sometimes use avenue trees in urban areas. Nests are often located on the eastern side of the tree where they are believed to provide shelter from the Southwest Monsoon, however late breeders are more likely to build their nests in other orientations relative to the trunk of the nest tree. Abandoned nests are sometimes used by mice (Mus booduga) and other birds such as munias.
Nests are built mainly in colonies but isolated nests are not unknown. Nests are often built from thorny Acacia or palm trees ( mainly Phoenix sylvestris
) and hang over open water. Young males may build experimental nests among reeds. In Burma, birds often build nests under the eaves of buildings but this habit is uncommon in India. The males take about 18 days to construct the complete nest with the intermediate "helmet stage" taking about 8 days. The nests are partially built before the males begin to display to passing females by flapping their wings and calling while hanging from their nests. The females inspect the nest and signal their acceptance of a male. Once a male and a female are paired, the male goes on to complete the nest by adding the entrance tunnel. Males are almost solely in charge of nest building, though their female partners may join in giving the finishing touches, particularly on the interiors. Females may modify the interiors or add blobs of mud. Studies have shown that nest location is more important than nest structure for the female when it selects the nest and mate.
Both males and females are polygamous. Males build many partial nests and begin courting females. The male finishes the nest to completion only after finding a mate. The the female lays about 2 to 4 white eggs and incubates them for about 14–17 days. Males may sometimes assist in feeding the chicks. The chicks leave the nest after about 17 days. After mating with a female the male typically court other females at other partially constructed nests. Intraspecific brood parasitism is known and females may lay their eggs in the nests of others.
Young birds leave the nest in a juvenal plumage which is replaced in their first moult after about four to six months. The young disperse to new locations not far from their nest and young have been located up to two kilometres away from their origin. Females are capable of breeding after a year while males take half a year longer. Prior to breeding they go through a prenuptial moult. Adults also go through a second moult after breeding and thus there are two moults each year. Histochemical studies have shown increased lipid metabolism in the crown region of male Baya during the breeding season. Lipids are known to be involved in the transport of the yellow carotenoid pigments that form the crown and are subsequently metabolized.
The nest being suspended from thorny trees and overhanging water is protected from many predators but nest predation by crows is not unusual. Brood may also be destroyed by lizards such as Calotes versicolor
or rodents such as Vandeleuria oleracea
which may take over the nest. Nests may sometimes be taken over and used for nesting by Indian Silverbill
s (Euodice malabarica).
In earlier times, the Baya Weaver was trained by street performers in India for entertainment. They were trained to fire toy cannons, string beads, pick up coins and other objects. These uses have been noted from the time of Akbar.
: بیّا چڑیا ); Baya Chadei (Oriya); Sugaran (Marathi); Tempua (Malay); Sughari (Gujarati); Babui (Bengali); Parsupu pita, Gijigadu/Gijjigadu (Telugu); Gijuga (Kannada); Thukanam kuruvi (Malayalam);Thukanan-kuruvi (Tamil); Wadu-kurulla, Tatteh-kurulla, Goiyan-kurulla (Sinhala); sa-gaung-gwet, mo-sa (Myanmar); Bijra (Hoshiarpur); Suyam (Chota Nagpur).
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Flocks of these birds are found in grasslands, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growth and they are best known for their hanging retort shaped nests woven from leaves. These nest colonies are usually found on thorny trees or palm fronds and the nests are often built near water or hanging over water where predators cannot reach easily. They are widespread and common within their range but are prone to local, seasonal movements mainly in response to rain and food availability.
Among the population variations, three subspecies are recognized. The nominate race philippinus is found through much of mainland India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
while burmanicus is found eastwards into Southeast Asia. The population in southwest India is darker above and referred to as subspecies travancoreensis.
Description
These are sparrow-sized (15 cm) and in their non-breeding plumage, both males and females resemble female house sparrowHouse Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
s. They have a stout conical bill and a short square tail. Non-breeding males and females look alike, dark brown streaked fulvous buff above, plain (unstreaked) whitish fulvous below, eyebrow long and buff coloured, bill is horn coloured and no mask. Breeding males have a bright yellow crown, dark brown mask, blackish brown bill, upper parts are dark brown streaked with yellow, with a yellow breast and cream buff below.
Behaviour and ecology
Baya Weavers are social and gregarious birds. They forage in flocks for seeds, both on the plants and on the ground. Flocks fly in close formations, often performing complicated manoeuvres. They are known to glean paddy and other grain in harvested fields, and occasionally damage ripening crops and are therefore sometimes considered as pests. They roost in reed-beds bordering waterbodies. They depend on wild grasses such as Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum) as well as crops like riceRice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
for both their food (feeding on seedlings in the germination stage as well as on early stages of grain) and nesting material. They also feed on insects (including butterflies), sometimes taking small frogs and molluscs, especially to feed their young. Their seasonal movements are governed by food availability. Their calls are a continuous chit-chit-... sometimes ending in a wheezy cheee-eee-ee that is produced by males in a chorus. A lower intensity call is produced in the non-breeding season.
They are occasionally known to descend to the ground and indulge in dust bathing.
In captivity, individuals are known to form stable peck orders
Pecking order
Pecking order or just peck order is the colloquial term for a hierarchical system of social organization in chickens. It was first described from the behaviour of poultry by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms Hackordnung or Hackliste' ...
.
Breeding
The breeding season of the Baya Weavers is during the monsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
s. The breeding condition is initiated by environmental characters such as day length and comes to an end after summer although this termination is not influenced by short day length as in temperate birds. They nest in colonies typically of up to 20-30, close to the source of food, nesting material and water. Baya Weavers are best known for the elaborately woven nests constructed by the males. These pendulous nests are retort shaped, with a central nesting chamber and a long vertical tube that leads to a side entrance to the chamber. The nests are woven with long strips of paddy leaves, rough grasses and long strips torn from palm fronds. Each strip can be between 20–60 cm in length. A male bird is known to make up to 500 trips to complete a nest. The birds use their strong beaks to strip and collect the strands, and to weave and knot them while building their nests. The nests are often built hanging over water from palm trees and often suspended from thorny Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
s and in some cases from telephone wires. Although thorny trees are preferred, they may sometimes use avenue trees in urban areas. Nests are often located on the eastern side of the tree where they are believed to provide shelter from the Southwest Monsoon, however late breeders are more likely to build their nests in other orientations relative to the trunk of the nest tree. Abandoned nests are sometimes used by mice (Mus booduga) and other birds such as munias.
Nests are built mainly in colonies but isolated nests are not unknown. Nests are often built from thorny Acacia or palm trees ( mainly Phoenix sylvestris
Phoenix sylvestris
Phoenix sylvestris also known as Silver Date Palm or Sugar Date Palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family native to southern Pakistan,most of India and Bangladesh. Growing in plains and scrubland to 1300 m, the fruit from this palm species is used to make wine and jelly...
) and hang over open water. Young males may build experimental nests among reeds. In Burma, birds often build nests under the eaves of buildings but this habit is uncommon in India. The males take about 18 days to construct the complete nest with the intermediate "helmet stage" taking about 8 days. The nests are partially built before the males begin to display to passing females by flapping their wings and calling while hanging from their nests. The females inspect the nest and signal their acceptance of a male. Once a male and a female are paired, the male goes on to complete the nest by adding the entrance tunnel. Males are almost solely in charge of nest building, though their female partners may join in giving the finishing touches, particularly on the interiors. Females may modify the interiors or add blobs of mud. Studies have shown that nest location is more important than nest structure for the female when it selects the nest and mate.
Both males and females are polygamous. Males build many partial nests and begin courting females. The male finishes the nest to completion only after finding a mate. The the female lays about 2 to 4 white eggs and incubates them for about 14–17 days. Males may sometimes assist in feeding the chicks. The chicks leave the nest after about 17 days. After mating with a female the male typically court other females at other partially constructed nests. Intraspecific brood parasitism is known and females may lay their eggs in the nests of others.
Young birds leave the nest in a juvenal plumage which is replaced in their first moult after about four to six months. The young disperse to new locations not far from their nest and young have been located up to two kilometres away from their origin. Females are capable of breeding after a year while males take half a year longer. Prior to breeding they go through a prenuptial moult. Adults also go through a second moult after breeding and thus there are two moults each year. Histochemical studies have shown increased lipid metabolism in the crown region of male Baya during the breeding season. Lipids are known to be involved in the transport of the yellow carotenoid pigments that form the crown and are subsequently metabolized.
The nest being suspended from thorny trees and overhanging water is protected from many predators but nest predation by crows is not unusual. Brood may also be destroyed by lizards such as Calotes versicolor
Calotes versicolor
The Oriental Garden Lizard, Eastern Garden Lizard or Changeable Lizard is an agamid lizard found widely distributed in Asia. It has also been introduced in many other parts of the world...
or rodents such as Vandeleuria oleracea
Vandeleuria oleracea
The Asiatic Long-tailed Climbing Mouse is a species of rodent found in South and South-east Asia.-Further reading:*****...
which may take over the nest. Nests may sometimes be taken over and used for nesting by Indian Silverbill
Indian Silverbill
The Indian Silverbill or White-throated Munia is a small passerine bird found in South Asia that was formerly considered to include the closely related African Silverbill . This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in the dry regions of the Middle East and South Asia...
s (Euodice malabarica).
In culture
A widespread folk belief in India is that the Baya sticks fireflies with mud to the nest walls to light up the interior of the nest at night. Clay, however is known to be used in the nests of Baya weavers. Males alone have been seen to add blobs of mud and dung to the nest chamber prior to pairing with a female. It has been theorized that the clay helps to stabilise the nests in strong winds.In earlier times, the Baya Weaver was trained by street performers in India for entertainment. They were trained to fire toy cannons, string beads, pick up coins and other objects. These uses have been noted from the time of Akbar.
Local Names
Tokora, Tokora chorai (Assamese); Baya, Son-Chiri (Hindi); Bayya Chirya (UrduUrdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: بیّا چڑیا ); Baya Chadei (Oriya); Sugaran (Marathi); Tempua (Malay); Sughari (Gujarati); Babui (Bengali); Parsupu pita, Gijigadu/Gijjigadu (Telugu); Gijuga (Kannada); Thukanam kuruvi (Malayalam);Thukanan-kuruvi (Tamil); Wadu-kurulla, Tatteh-kurulla, Goiyan-kurulla (Sinhala); sa-gaung-gwet, mo-sa (Myanmar); Bijra (Hoshiarpur); Suyam (Chota Nagpur).
Other sources
- Alexander, Horace (1972) Nest building of the Baya Weaver Bird. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 12(9):12. - Ali, Salim; Ambedkar, Vijaykumar C. (1956) Notes on the Baya Weaver Bird, Ploceus philippinus Linn. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 53(3):381-389.
- Ambedkar, V.C. (1978) Abnormal nests of the Baya Weaver Bird Ploceus philippinus (Linn.). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 75(Supp):1205-1211.
- Ambedkar, V. C. (1958) Notes on the Baya: Breeding season 1957. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 55(1):100-106.
- Anon. (1981) Multiple Baya nests. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 21(1):2-4. - Davis, T. A. (1985) "Blind" or "closed" nests of Baya Weaverbird. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 82(3):658-660.
- Davis, T. A. (1966) Nesting Behaviour of the Baya (Ploceus philippinus, L.). (Technical Report No. Nat 4/66.) Research and Training School, Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta. 28 pages.
- Dewar, DouglasDouglas DewarDouglas Dewar was a barrister, British civil servant in India and an ornithologist. He wrote widely in newspapers such as The Madras Mail, Pioneer, Times of India and periodicals such as the Civil and Military Gazette and Bird Notes.-Biography:He particularly advanced field studies of birds and he...
(1909) The nesting habits of the Baya. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 19(3):627-634. - Edwards, O. C. (1983) The nest of the Baya Weaver-Bird (Ploceus philippinus): Architect supreme. Mayura 4(3):17-19.
- Khacher, Lavkumar (1977) Note on the Baya Weaver bird Ploceus philippinus (Linn.). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 74(3):533-534.
- Mathew,DN (1971) Ecology and biology of the Baya Weaver Bird Ploceus philippinus. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Bombay, Bombay.
- Mohan, D. (1991) Common baya weaver bird - nest building habits. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 31(9-10):2-4. - Punde, A.B. (1912) Migration of the Baya (Ploceus baya). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 21(2):675-676.
- Serrao, J.S. (1971) Nesting of the Baya Weaver Bird Ploceus philippinus. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 11(10):11. - Sharma, S.K. (1995) Nests of Baya used as filling fibre in southern Rajasthan. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 35(3):57-58. - Sharma, Satish Kumar (1987) Host plants used by Baya Weaver Bird (Ploceus philippinus Linn.) for nesting in eastern Rajasthan (Breeding period 1982). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 84(1):218-220.
- Sharma, Satish Kumar (1988) Buttressed nests of Baya Weaver Bird Ploceus philippinus (Linn.). J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 85(2):432.
- Sharma, Satish Kumar (1985) A study of qualitative aspect of abnormal nesting in Baya Weaver Bird the Ploceus philippinus and P. benghalensis. J. Southern Forest Ranger's College 61:50-54.
- Sharma, Satish Kumar (1991) Nests of Baya Weaver Birds Ploceus philippinus and wintering Arthropods. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 88(2):289-290.
- Sharma, Satish Kumar (1995) A study of abnormal nests of Baya Weaver Bird Ploceus philippinus (Linn.) in Rajasthan. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 92(1):67-76.
- Sidhartha, D. (1981) Baya nests in October. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 21(1):8. - Singh, T. G. M. (1980) An observation on the behaviour of Indian Baya (Ploceus phillipinus) in captivity during solar eclipses. Mayura 1(2):20-21.
- Stairmand, D.A. (1971) Pre-monsoon breeding of the Baya Ploceus philippinus. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 11(9):12. - Thapliyal, J. P.; Tewary, P. D. (1964) Effect of light on the pituitary, gonad and plumage pigmentation in the Avadavat (Estrilda amandava) and Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus). Proc. Zool. Soc. London 142, 67-71.
- Vardhani, B. P.; Rao, P. S.; Srimannarayana,G. (1992) The efficacy of certain plant extracts as repellents against House Sparrow, Passer domesticus and Baya Weaver Bird Ploceus philippinus. J. Appl. Zool. Res. 3(2):193-194.