An abiding memory for me from childhood is the sight of branches weighed down by the nests of the Weaver birds. These birds are found all over Sub Saharan Africa and there are many varieties of them. The ones in Zambia would build nests like these ones below, and as children we always loved finding a nest that had been discarded. Perhaps it had not met the standards of a fussy female and she had rejected it in favour of another. A colony of these weavers is a noisy affair, the males, who build these very complex structures, make their presence felt. They sound almost as if they’re squabbling!
A Masked Weaver
You can see from the pictures above that the birds build their nests close to one another, but in Namibia they go a step further. The Sociable Weavers who live in Namibia build entire structures. A little like the termites who build huge mounds together, these birds build huge apartment blocks in the trees.
Here is a short clip with David Attenborough about this phenomenon (excuse the ad, nothing I can do about it!)
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