Weaver species category
Choose different species category from drop-down list and press 'Go' button.Weavers nesting in acacias
Many weavers choose acacia trees to breed in. Acacias outside of Australia are usually thorny bushes or trees - these thorny twigs may help support the nest of sparrow weavers and buffalo weavers, and the thorns may provide some protection against predators for all the weavers listed below. Many of the weavers that nest in acacias are typical savanna species, where the acacia provides a nesting site, the savanna grass and tree leaves may be used as nest material, and the grass seed in the savanna and insects in the acacias provide food for the weavers. Some weavers, especially Southern Masked Weaver, also use exotic acacias (like Australian wattles) to nest in. An increase in weavers nesting in acacias could be due to an increase in acacias which may indicate bush encroachment.
The list below shows weavers that often like to build their nests in acacias. Several weavers do not normally breed in acacias but there are single, or a few, records of this nest site, eg.
Black-winged Bishop Euplectes hordeaceus,
Golden-backed Weaver Ploceus jacksoni,
Southern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus xanthopterus, and
Dark-backed Weaver Ploceus bicolor.
The Holub's Golden Weaver Ploceus xanthops may breed in acacias along rivers.
Weavers that regularly nest in acacias: