Meet Noida's rare guests: The baya weaver birds who are facing extinction
We live in unprecedented times, every day we come across something that is rare and sometimes unheard of. In another such event, Noida became a destination for a rare species of birds that is facing extinction.
The bays weaver birds were first seen in Greater Noida's Omaxe Palm Greens society day before yesterday filed the residents with awe.
What are the baya weaver birds?
The baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus) is a weaverbird found across the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Flocks of these birds are found in grasslands, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growth and they are best known for their hanging retort shaped nests woven from leaves.
These nest colonies are usually found on thorny trees or palm fronds and the nests are often built near water or hanging over water where predators cannot reach easily. They are widespread and common within their range but are prone to local, seasonal movements mainly in response to rain and food availability.
The baya weaver birds, best known for their hanging retort shaped nests are here in Noida. The birds are little sparrows who weave these nests with leaves. Monsoon happens to be their breeding season.
Baya weavers are social and gregarious birds. They forage in flocks for seeds, both on the plants and on the ground. Flocks fly in close formations, often performing complicated maneuvers. They are known to glean paddy and other grain in harvested fields, and occasionally damage ripening crops and are therefore sometimes considered as pests.
