Bird of the Week – Redheaded weaver

YOU would need to head up to Zululand to see the stunning redheaded weaver.

It’s voice is a high pitched, squeaky swizzling.

This bird loves woodland, bushveld and savanna and is usually solitary or in pairs, not far from water.

It forages off foliage and branches of trees. As it is usually silent, it is easily overlooked.

This weaver feeds off insects, spiders, fruit and seeds. The nest is ball of woven sticks and twigs, thatched with broad leaves and grass. It has a vertical entrance with a spout about 20cm long.

The bird lays two to three eggs with an incubation period of 12 days.