Weaver Wednesday

The Forest Fody Foudia omissa male has a red head and breast with a white belly. The female is dull coloured, and non-breeding males resemble females. Moulting or immature male Madagascar Fodies may be confused with this species, but the Forest Fody has a heavier bill being deeper and longer than that of the Madagascar Fody.

The Forest Fody occurs in forest in eastern Madagascar (see map below, based on Birds of the Malagasy region). There are no subspecies. The Madagascar Fody is found outside forest, and the Forest Fody occurs in forest, but both species overlap on forest edges (due to forest fragmentation) and hybridisation has been recorded.

The Forest Fody inhabits intact evergreen forest, from sea-level to 2000 m.

The Forest Fody feeds on seeds, insects and small amounts of nectar. It forages in small flocks of up to 15 individuals, and may join mixed-species flocks.

The Forest Fody is apparently monogamous. Nesting is similar to that of the Madagascar Fody. The nest is globular with a side entrance. The eggs are pale blue, and the clutch is 2-3 eggs. There have been no breeding studies for this species.

There are no PHOWN records for the Forest Fody (see PHOWN summary). Be the first to submit a record of this species! Submit any weaver nest records to PHOWN (PHOtos of Weaver Nests) via the Virtual Museum upload site.