Nelicourvi weaver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nelicourvi weaver |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Ploceus
|
| Species: |
nelicourvi
|
 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The nelicourvi weaver (Ploceus nelicourvi) is a small bird that belongs to the Ploceidae family. It lives only in Madagascar, which means it is endemic to that island. This bird is a close relative of the sakalava weaver. Sometimes, both are placed in their own special group called Nelicurvius.
This bird is slender and looks a bit like a sparrow. It is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs between 20–28 g (0.71–0.99 oz). Male nelicourvi weavers have a black beak and head when they are ready to breed. They also have a yellow collar, a grey belly, and an olive-green back.
Nelicourvi weavers build unique nests that hang from branches or vines. They mostly eat insects. You can often see them looking for food alone or in small groups. They sometimes even join long-billed bernieria birds. These weavers live in moist lowland and mountain forests. The IUCN Red List says that the nelicourvi weaver is a species of least concern, meaning it is not currently in danger.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The nelicourvi weaver was first described by an Italian scientist named Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1786. He called it Parvus nelicourvi. This name came from a bird specimen collected by a French explorer, Pierre Sonnerat, during his visit to Madagascar in 1770.
The name Parvus is Latin and means "little." The second part of the name, nelicourvi, might come from the Tamil word "nellukuruvi." This word is used for a type of finch in Sri Lanka.
In 1850, a scientist named Charles Lucien Bonaparte suggested putting this bird in a new group called Nelicurvius. However, later on, it was put back into the Ploceus group. The official English name for this bird is "Nelicourvi weaver." In the local Malagasy language, it is called fodisaina, fodifetsy, or farifotramavo.
What Does It Look Like?
The nelicourvi weaver is a slim bird, about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighing 20–28 g (0.71–0.99 oz).
Male Nelicourvi Weaver
When breeding, the male has a black beak and reddish-brown eyes. His whole head, including his cheeks and forehead, is black. This black area is surrounded by a wide yellow band that goes around his neck and chest. Below this yellow, his lower chest and belly are bluish-grey. His back and shoulders are bright olive-green. His wing feathers are blackish with green edges.
When not breeding, the male's black head turns olive-green with some dark grey spots. He also gets a thin yellow line above his eye.
Female Nelicourvi Weaver
The female in breeding plumage has a yellow front part of her head. This changes to olive-green at the back of her head. She has a wide yellow stripe above her eye. The area between her eye and beak is dark greenish-grey. Like the male, she has a broad yellow collar around her chin and neck. The rest of her body looks similar to the male's breeding plumage.
You can tell the nelicourvi weaver apart from its relative, the sakalava weaver, because the sakalava weaver has stripes on its feathers. Other similar birds, like the forest fody and Madagascar fody, usually have stripes on their upper bodies and bright red colors.
Sound
The nelicourvi weaver often makes a high-pitched sound that goes chizz-chizz-chizz. When they are eating in groups, this sound can be more metallic and rough. Near their nests, they make other calls like tsrrreee, tiang-tiang, and chet. Their song, which they sing at the nest, sounds like chiz-chizz-chswriissssiszz.
Where Do They Live?
The nelicourvi weaver is found only in Madagascar. It lives in the long belt of rainforest that stretches from the Tsanatanana mountains in the north all the way to the southeast. You can also find it in the coastal forests on the eastern side.
These birds live from sea level up to about 1,500 m (4,900 ft) high. Some have even been seen as high as 2,100 m (6,900 ft) in Marojejy National Park. There is also a small group living separately in the far north at Amber Mountain National Park. They prefer moist mountain and lowland forests. They can also be found in tougher mountain forests, bushland, and thickets.
How Do They Live?
Nelicourvi weavers move around from the forest floor up to the very tops of the trees, called the canopy. They especially like the middle part of the forest. They usually search for food alone, in pairs, or in groups of three. Sometimes, they even join groups of long-billed bernieria birds. They do not form large flocks.
These birds are very active and often make a lot of noise. They look for insects on leaves and branches, even hanging upside down from vines and twigs. They also search for bugs in rolled leaves, in leaf litter on the ground, and inside dead plant stems. They can even pull apart flowers to get to the nectar.
Their diet mainly consists of arthropods like beetles, bugs, butterflies, caterpillars, and spiders. Sometimes, they eat small vertebrates such as lizards and chameleons. They also consume some nectar, fruit, and probably seeds.
Reproduction
Nelicourvi weavers seem to be monogamous, meaning they stay with the same partner for a long time. They build their nests far apart from other nests. You might see two nests a few meters apart, but they do not form large colonies.
During the breeding season, the male bird performs a special dance. He sits on a branch, flutters his wings low, and calls loudly. Mating usually starts about six days after nest building begins. The male chases other birds away from the nest. This might be to stop other birds from laying eggs in their nest.
Eggs are usually laid between October and March. This is during the late dry season and the rainy season. Nests can start being built as early as August, but this doesn't always mean eggs will be laid right away.
The nests are easy to spot. They usually hang in open spaces, away from other plants. They are attached to a bare branch, bamboo stem, or vine, often hanging over a clearing or a stream. They are built about 2–8 m (6.6–26.2 ft) off the ground.
The nest hangs from its support by a "rope" that is 10–30 cm (0.3–1 ft) long. The nest itself is shaped like a retort, which is a flask with a long, bent neck. The main nesting area is oval, about 12–22 cm (4.7–8.7 in) high and 10–18 cm (3.9–7.1 in) wide. A vertical entrance tube is attached high up on the side and is at least as long as the nest is tall.
The nest is strongly built from strips of grass, sedge, and palm fronds. The bottom of the nesting area has a thin lining of palm fibers. The male builds the main structure of the nest, while the female brings materials for the lining. It takes about twelve days to build a nest.
A clutch usually has one to four eggs, but most often three. The eggs are oval, smooth, and slightly shiny. They are a pale blue-green color, about 20½ mm (0.8 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) wide. Only the female bird sits on the eggs to keep them warm. This takes about fifteen days before they hatch. Both parents help feed the baby birds and keep the nest clean.
Who Hunts Them?
Sometimes, the eggs of the nelicourvi weaver are eaten by brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus). Nests can also be raided by Madagascar harrier-hawks (Polyboroides radiatus). During the day, adult birds might be caught by banded kestrels (Falco zoniventris). At night, they are at risk of being caught by barn owls (Tyto alba).
