| Weavers | |
|---|---|
_male_nest_building.jpg) | |
| A malevillage weaver (Ploceus cucullatus bohndorffi), building his nest | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Passeroidea |
| Family: | Ploceidae Sundevall, 1836 |
| Genera | |
See text. | |
Ploceidae is a family of smallpasserinebirds, many of which are calledweavers,weaverbirds,weaver finches, orbishops. These names come from the nests of intricately woven vegetation created by birds in this family. In most recent classifications, the Ploceidae are aclade that excludes some birds that have historically been placed in the family, such as some of thesparrows, but which includes the monotypic subfamilyAmblyospizinae. The family is believed to have originated in the mid-Miocene.[1] All birds of the Ploceidae are native to theOld World, most in Africa south of the Sahara, though a few live in tropical areas of Asia. A few species have beenintroduced outside their native range.[2]
The family Ploceidae was introduced (as Ploceïdes) by Swedish zoologistCarl Jakob Sundevall in 1836.[3][4] Phylogenetic studies have shown that the family issister to a clade containing the familiesViduidae andEstrildidae[5] Their common ancestor lived in the middleMiocene around 18 million years ago.[6]
A 2017molecular phylogenetic study by Thilina de Silva and collaborators, as well as an expanded study by the same group published in 2019 have indicated that the genusPloceus as currently defined ispolyphyletic.[7][8] A cladogram based on these results is shown below.[8]
| Ploceidae |
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The family includes 15 genera with a total of 122 species.[9] For more detail, seelist of Ploceidae species.
| Image | Genus | Species |
|---|---|---|
 | BubalornisA. Smith, 1836 |
|
 | DinemelliaReichenbach, 1863 |
|
 | PlocepasserA. Smith, 1836 |
|
 | HisturgopsReichenow, 1887 |
|
.jpg) | PseudonigritaReichenow, 1903 |
|
.jpg) | PhiletairusA. Smith, 1837 |
|
 | SporopipesCabanis, 1847 |
|
 | AmblyospizaSundevall, 1850 |
|
_male.jpg) | PloceusCuvier, 1816 |
|
.jpg) | MalimbusVieillot, 1805 |
|
 | QueleaReichenbach, 1850 |
|
 | AnaplectesReichenbach, 1863 |
|
.jpg) | FoudiaReichenbach, 1850 |
|
| BrachycopeReichenow, 1900 |
| |
 | EuplectesSwainson, 1829 |
|
The males of many species in this family are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black. Some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season. These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills.
The weaverbird colonies may be found close to bodies of water.
Weavers are named for their elaborately woven nests. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within. Thesociable weavers ofAfrica build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. Thesparrow weavers live in family units that employ cooperative breeding.[10]Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.
Many weaver species are gregarious and breedcolonially.[2] The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females.
They sometimes cause crop damage, notably thered-billed quelea, reputed to be the world's most numerous bird.[11][12]
![Plocepasser nest in Namibia, for year-round occupation.[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aNids_de_Plocepasser_mahali_(Namibie)_(3).jpg)
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