- Ploceus philippinus
Identification
15 cm
- Short square tail
Breeding males
- Bright yellow crown
- Dark brown mask
- Blackish brown bill
- Upper parts dark brown streaked with yellow
- Yellow breast
- Creamy-buff underparts
Non breeding
- Upperparts dark brown streaked fulvous buff
- Plain whitish fulvous underparts
- Long buffy eyebrows
- Lacks mask
- Stout horn-coloured conical bill
Distribution
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 5 subspecies[1]:
- P. p. philippinus:
- P. p. travencoreensis:
- South-western India (Goa to Travancore and Kerala)
- P. p. burmanicus:
- North-eastern India (Bengal) to Bangladesh, Assam and Myanmar
- P. p. infortunatus:
- Malay Peninsula to southern Vietnam, Sumatra and Nias Island
- P. p. angelorum:
- Plains of central Thailand
Habitat
Mangroves, reeds, grassland, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growths usually near fresh or brackish water.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes grass seed.
Breeding
Colonial nesters of up to 20-30 pairs, usually in trees near freshwater and open ground. The male builds a basic nest from woven grass which hangs from a palm frond or branch and resembling an upside down flask, which they then display to visiting females. If a female likes the look of the nest and its male she will mate with him before lining the nest herself and laying and incubating the 3-4 white eggs.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Baya Weaver. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Baya_Weaver
