|
|
|
|
|
|
By Alexander Wetmore
The red-billed weaver
(Quelea quelea), sometimes called the "red-billed dioch," is a prime
favorite in small aviaries and is one of the
common species in captivity (Color Plate V).
These birds are those
in which the habit of
weaving, from which
the family name is
taken, can be observed
with the greatest of
with the greatest of
ease. It is necessary only to supply them with
suitable material, such as ordinary raffia, whereupon they will work with it long and industriously.
Each strand is held in place on twigs or wires
with the feet, while the free end is looped and
turned and finally knotted, the process being
repeated until the straw is completely used.
The birds often seem highly critical of their
work; they pull and twist at it, or even undo it
and start over, until finally it suits them.
At freedom they weave globular nests of
grass, but in captivity their energy is devoted
ordinarily to ornamenting the wires of their
aviaries with a network
of strands. If nests are
started, they are usually not fully completed
In the semiarid regions in Africa red-billed weavers gather in
flocks that are enormous, as they may include tens of thousands
of birds. The late Dr.
Edgar A. Mearns often
told me of watching
such bands in Ethiopia
come to drink at small
streams. The birds
poured in until the
ground was covered.
and at the water's edge
they literally piled on
top of one another in a
fluttering, shifting mass.
Often some unfortunate would be pinned
down by the press of
birds steadily alighting and held with its
head under water until
it drowned.
Originally appeared in the December 1938 issue of the National Geographic Magazine
This Web version COPYRIGHT 2004
|
|
|
|
| Contact PETCRAFT |
|
|
| Featured Link |
FREE New Jersey Pet and Pet Supplies Classified Ads
 |
 |
