India is home to Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus) a genus of weaverbird found across south and southeast Asia.
They mostly inhabit grasslands or cultivated areas as it enables them to easily get the material that they require to build their nests, which distinctly stand apart from other nests.
At Putirela in Vissannapeta mandal of Krishna District The Hindu lensman captures some amazing act of `The Baya Weavers’, which are social and gregarious birds and tend to live in groups.
That is one reason why they build their nests on thorny trees in close proximity. From a distance their nests look like hanging bottles but a closer look will reveal that they are nest intricately woven with twigs and dry grass. The birds weave the nest with their bill and that is why they are called weaver birds.
These birds, a common view in the Krishna rural areas, are little bigger than house sparrows with very strong beaks. The males can be easily identified for their bright yellow crown and yellow breast.
The females resemble house sparrows. They feed on wild grass, rice or at times even on insects and small frogs. The breeding period is during monsoon and their movement depends on availability of food.
(Photos: Ch. Vijay Bhaskar,text: Sumit Bhattacharjee)
