Village Weaver
Place to admire: Tropical Paradise
Scientific name: Ploceus cucullatus
IUCN-status: Least concern
Habitat
The Village Weaver is found mainly in western and central Africa, south of the Sahara. This bird species inhabits dry forests, moist lowland forests, savannas, inland wetlands and man-made areas such as arable lands, plantations and gardens in rural areas.
Appearance
The Village Weaver has a size of 17 inches.
A male has distinctive plumage during the breeding season. Namely, it colors lemon yellow. The head turns black, with a maroon band at the neck. The maroon band changes to lemon yellow on the back. On the back, the male also has a black “V” shape. The breast is colored ochre yellow, which gradually merges into lemon yellow. The bill contains a black color and the eyes are red to orange-red in color.
A female is less conspicuous with her plumage. She has olive green to slightly yellowish plumage. The belly contains a light color. Outside the breeding season, a male has the same plumage as a female.
Diet
The Village Weaver is known as an omnivore. This means that this bird species eats both plant and animal matter.
The plant diet consists of grass seeds, cultivated grains, fruits and nectar. The animal diet consists of Insects, such as Beetles, Ants, Termites and Butterflies.
Social behavior
The Village Weaver is a social bird species. This bird species forages and roosts in (mixed) flocks. During the breeding season, this bird species nests in large breeding colonies with other Weavers and relatives.
Natural behavior
The Village Weaver polishes its plumage by “active anting‘. With its bill, the Village Weaver picks up Ants, which the bird then sweeps through its plumage. With the Ants, the bird polishes the feathers.