Tanzania; Red-headed Malimbe nest

Posted byontheroadwithdecPosted inUncategorized

The Red-headed Weaver has several forms. This bird is one of them. It is better called Red-headed Weaver, but one source allowed that this was now grouped with the Malimbe weavers — and I ran with that. As the taxonomy clears I will add/change/corect the terminology.

Africa is rich in Weaver birds. At least 56 species have Weaver in their name. The Red-headed Malimbe is one of them. There are five Malimbes amongst the weavers and generally they are black with some red. The one mentioned is mostly red with some black. It happens to be a loose colonial nester. There are a few nests in a Fever Tree (Yellow-barked Acacia) right next to the African Tulip Hotel here in Arusha Tanzania.

This bird is not densely colonial like many of the weavers. The nest is woven with a long tube hanging down as an entrance.
Long pieces of vine or grass or strips of fiber from palms and banana are used by many of the weavers. These pieces are wrapped, folded, twisted, and interlocked to secure them to a twig.
The Malimbes have longish bills and the Red-headed Malimbes seems to be the only Weaver with a light colored beak.
This is my first try at posting on the road with the iPad. I’m hoping this is successful and look forward to posting as I travel…..if this works. The group arrives tonight and I’ll be working soon, but I should be able to some pages posted over the next couple weeks.

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