Black-breasted weaver

Black-breasted weaver
Breeding male in northern India
Female or non-breeding male in Uttar Pradesh, India
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Ploceidae
Genus:	Ploceus
Species:	P. benghalensis
Binomial name
Ploceus benghalensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Loxia benghalensis Linnaeus, 1758

The black-breasted weaver (Ploceus benghalensis), also known as the Bengal weaver or black-throated weaver, is a weaver resident in the northern river plains of the Indian subcontinent. Like the other weavers, the males build an enclosed nest from reeds and mud, and visiting females select a mate at least partially based on the quality of the nest.

Taxonomy

The black-breasted weaver was

The black-breasted weaver is sparrow-sized with a total body length of about 15 cm. The male in breeding plumage has a brilliant golden-yellow crown and a variable amount of black on the head and breast; some males have an entirely black head (apart from the yellow crown) and breast, while others have a white throat or an entirely white face with a black band separating it from the fulvous-white underparts. In the non-breeding male and female, the crown is brown like the rest of the upperpart plumage, and the black pectoral band is less developed. It has a prominent supercilium, a spot behind ear, and narrow moustachial streaks, which are pale yellow. Flocks frequent cultivation and the reedy margins of tanks and jheels (shallow lakes), or extensive tall grass areas.^[6]

Distribution

Resident or local migrant, endemic to

It is polygynous and colonial, and on the whole similar to that of the baya and streaked weavers.

Breeding

Breeding takes place between June and September. Nests are in scattered groups of 4 or 5; sometimes larger colonies. The male constructs the nest single-handedly, with a group of females visiting it during late construction stage, jumping on the helmets, tugging and testing, presumably for strength. If a female appears interested, the male bows low before her, presenting his golden crown to her. He flaps his wings deliberately and sings softly tsi-tsisik-tsisik-tsik-tsik, like the chirp of a cricket or the subdued squeaking of an unoiled bicycle wheel. Once the female agrees and permits copulation, he quickly completes the rest of the nest, and she lays her eggs inside. He immediately commences a second nest nearby to attract other females, and occasionally a third nest, or very rarely a fourth. Nests not accepted by females may be torn down by the builder himself.^[8]

The nest is similar to that of the

• 
  Male in breeding plumage in South India
• 
  Nest suspended from grass, India

References