THE WEAVER BIRD 



THE weaver bird has, thanks to its marvel- 

 lous nest, a world-wide reputation. It is 

 related to our ubiquitous friend the house 

 sparrow, and is known to men of science as 

 Ploceus bay a. 



Except at the breeding season, the weaver bird looks 

 rather like an overgrown sparrow, and frequently passes 

 as such. But the cock decks himself out in gay attire 

 when he goes a-courting. The feathers of his head 

 become golden, while his breast turns bright yellow if 

 he be an elderly gentleman, or rusty red if he still 

 possess the fire of youth. 



Weaver birds are found all over India. In most 

 parts they seem to shun the haunts of man, but in 

 Burma they frequent gardens. Jerdon mentions a 

 house in Rangoon which had at one time over one 

 hundred weaver birds' nests suspended from the thatch 

 of the roof! In India proper the favourite site for a 

 nest is a tree that overhangs water. Toddy palms are 

 most commonly chosen, but in Northern India, where 

 palms are but rarely seen, a babul tree is usually 

 utilised. 



Weaver birds or bayas, as they are invariably called 

 by Hindustani-speaking people, live almost exclusively 

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