Bird of the week – Cape weaver
Incubation is 13 days and they are nestlings for 17 days.
A common resident from the West coast, South of Orange River along the Southern and Eastern Cape, most of KZN, Gauteng, Eastern Free State and Lesotho.
They like open woodland, wooded rivers, streams and kloofs as well as reed beds near trees where they are found in small flocks or solitary.
Cape weavers like insects, seeds, flower parts, nectar and scraps from feeding trays. They forage on the ground and in trees, gleaning from bark and foliage and probing flowers. Being larger than other weavers, they are aggressive at food source, chasing other birds.
They flick their wings when alarmed and have a fast direct flight up to 40 kilometres per hour.
Their call is a harsh penetrating swizzel and sharp alarm chip – chip similar to the village weaver.
Breeding takes place during the Western Cape rain season from July to October and October to February in the North Eastern summer rainfall season.
The nest is an oval to kidney chamber, woven by the male with relatively broad strips of grass and palm leaves, normally two metres above water and four to 10 metres above ground.
Two to three bright blue to green eggs are laid. Incubation is 13 days and they are nestlings for 17 days when they are fed mostly by the female.
The Xhosa name is Ihobo – hobo and in Afrikaans die kaapse wewer.
