Red Fody

Madagascar Weber ( Foudia madagascariensis ) males in the simplicity dress

The Madagascar Weber ( Foudia madagascariensis ) is the most common bird in Madagascar. He lives in almost all regions of the island, in agricultural areas, savannas, in cities and in the thorn scrub forest in the southwest. Only dense forests, he seems to avoid. In the mountains he goes at altitudes up to 2450 meters. Man, the adaptable weaver bird in the Comoros, Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues, the Seychelles, the Chagos Archipelago, the Amiranten and on St. Helena in the South Atlantic was introduced. Outside the breeding season, the birds live in large flocks.

Features

The Madagascar Webern males and females have a different appearance. The females and young birds have a simple olivbraunes spring dress, a horn -colored beak and resemble a sparrow. Male birds are orange or yellow with olive-brown wing coverts and tail feathers. During the breeding season they are bright red. Your beak is black. The birds are about 12.5 inches long and 14 to 19 grams.

Reproduction

Madagascar Weber breed from September to May Then give her social life, which form pairs and the males defend a territory with a radius of about 20 meters. Their nest they build up to a height of 8 meters in tall grasses, bushes, in trees, or on the midribs of palm leaves. The nest consists of three ( 2-4) eggs. Only the female incubates. After 11 to 14 days the young hatch and leave the nest after 15 to 16 days. Both parents participate in feeding. Captive birds had up to three broods in four months, so it is assumed that wild animals breed at least twice in one season.

Nutrition

Madagascar Weber feed on all kinds of seeds, such as millet from ( Panicum ) or Lampenputzer grasses ( Pennisetum ), also insects, spiders and nectar from flowers. In areas where rice is grown, they mainly eat this cereal. They fall in flocks of hundreds of birds in the fields and cause major crop damage.