Baya Weaver

I have been capturing some small birds for past 2-3 years in Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. But I couldn’t identify the species of these birds even after googling a lot and visiting many birds database sites. Initially, I thought these birds are from sparrow family as their body structure was similar. But the yellow mark on some of them made the difference.

The question of identification used to pop-up in my mind whenever I saw a sparrow. My quest was not ending. Finally decided to get in touch with some of the known Ornithologist or Birds/Nature Conservation Institute, share the pictures and try to identify these birds. The first name came to my to mind was BNHS – Bombay Natural History Society as lot of bird researchers and ornithologists are working with this organization for nature conservation for past 133 years.

I found out email ids to send queries from FAQ section of BNHS website. And I immediately sent two photos of these birds for identification. First photo was of two birds sitting beside the nest and second one was of the flock of birds sitting on the electric wire. I was expecting their response in 2-3 days time.

To my surprise, I got a response on the same day from Mrs. Sailee Joshi-Gupte, Information Officer, BNHS-ENVIS. In her response, she said “The birds in the images are Baya Weaver (Ploceus Philippinus). The birds in the image 1 are female of Baya Weaver where as the birds in the image 2 has mixed flock of male as well as female birds”. I was impressed with the quick response and thanked her for helping me in the identification and sharing some knowledge article links on Baya Weaver.

I glanced through the article links and found some interesting information about these birds. These birds are found across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They are usually found in farm lands, scrubs and areas with dense grasslands. The size of these birds are approx. 15 cm, same as size of a sparrow.

The female baya weaver looks exactly like common sparrow. But they have a very lighter shade of yellow on their throat and chest. Whereas the male baya weaver is brighter with yellow head, breast and back. They have a small black beak and the area near eyes are covered with brownish colour. Baya weaver depends on wild grasses and crops for both food and nesting material. Sometimes they also lookout for insects for feeding their young ones.

Please share this information with your school going kids. If they come across sparrow like bird, they will be easily able to identify difference between common sparrow and female baya weaver. Also any other birds which they want to identify based on the characteristics or captured photos, BNHS is always there to help 🙂

BNHS is a pan-India wildlife research organization, has been promoting the cause of nature conservation for the past 133 years, since 1883. The mission of BNHS is Conservation of Nature, primarily Biological Diversity through action based on Research, Education and Public Awareness

Here are some photos of Baya Weaver captured by me.

References:
1. Wikipedia – Baya Weaver
2. BNHS India
3. ENVIS Centre On Avian Ecology

Read more on Indian birds
1. Birds of India – Part 1
2. Birds of India – Part 2
3. Indian Golden Oriole
4. Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker
5. Common tailorbird
6. Green bee-eaters
7. Seagulls
8. Red-vented bulbul