Colouful Birds

Colouful Birds


Colouful Birds


The early settles in Australia noticed pretty little robin-sized birds, some of which had brilliant scarlet breasts, and to these they gave the name 'Robin'. When the first naturalists began studying the birds of Australia they found that these red-breasted 'Robins' were related very closely to a number of equally brightly coloured bird - some black and white, some rich orange, some bright yellow and some bright pink. The whole group of birds kept the name 'Robin'; hence the Pale Yellow Robin Eopsaltria capito shown in the illustration which lacks any colour remotely resembling red!
Among the world's most fascinating birds are Africa's huge family of weavers, which also includes the familiar sparrows. Some of their nests are elaborately woven and beautiful. The architect is usually the male weaver-bird, whose courtship often begins after he has built the nest.
A day or two may elapse before the nest, tightly woven out of vegetable fibres, is completed, and when it is ready it will be securely anchored to its twig or branch. The entrance may be a hole near the bottom or by means of a narrow tube. To attract a mate, some weavers hang upside down from the bottom of the nest and execute a series of eye-catching acrobatic turns to the accompaniment of unmusical chirps. Others may cling to the side, chattering and chirping loudly. Although most weavers are quite noisy birds, few have any real song.
If the hen is interested, she will show her approval of the nest in a practical fashion by flying straight inside and taking up residence. Some kinds of weaver, the Village Weaver Ploceus cuccullatus for instance, are in such a hurry to start a new nest for a second partner that they only wait long enough for the hen to settle on her eggs before moving off.