Baya Weaver – A Secret Unfolds

On a recent visit to Surajpur Wetland, we were disappointed to find it closed due to waterlogging. An additional reason was that a heronry inside was thriving, and due to incessant rain, some young herons kept falling from their nests. To protect them from further harm, the public was barred from entry.

Although we couldn't go inside, we decided to birdwatch near the perimeter, a decision that proved to be excellent. The area was alive with the sounds of baya weavers, pied starlings, bee-eaters, ashy prinias, pied cuckoos, and grey-bellied cuckoos, a welcoming chorus on a beautiful day.

A non-breeding male Baya Weaver builds its nest as it most likely perfects its nest-building skills for attracting a mate in the future.

Moving along, we spotted an under-construction nest belonging to a baya weaver. While not an unusual sighting, what puzzled us was that the bird building it appeared to be in non-breeding plumage. It's difficult to distinguish a male in non-breeding plumage from a female. Until this moment, we had always seen males in full breeding plumage constructing nests, making this a unique observation for us.

After taking pictures from a safe distance, we later spoke with our mentor and friend, Nikhil John, and few other senior birders, to learn more. They explained that male baya weavers build multiple retort-shaped nests to attract a female, who then selects the best one based on location, strength, and shape. As nest-building is a skill that improves with age, younger males' nests are often less refined and may fail to attract a mate, leading to their abandonment.

In our case, the male we saw was likely a young adult in the process of maturing. A closer look at our photos indicated it had already developed a dark beak, a yellowish crown, and a mask, indicating it was in its pre-nuptial moult. Over time, as the nest was completed, its plumage would grow brighter, with a blacker beak, a prominent mask, and a vibrant yellow crown.

It was a beautiful lesson in how nature's timeline unfolds, where the bird’s plumage becomes the indicator of the breeding time. This experience reminded us that keenly observing nature, often reveals its most profound and elegant secrets.