A real challenge is at hand for this Southern Masked-Weaver. It will soon be breeding time and he has to build a nest suitable and adequate for his mates. This may not be as easy as it appears as they may have some quite specific tastes and standards he has to meet. But how is he to know? Well - build it and she will come! Right???
The male carefully selects grasses to fashion his nest. Once the initial grass is fastened to the branch he can weave the grasses laterally or vertically. It would seem that a lateral weave results in a more quickly built nest but there is not standard approach - each one does it as he sees best. Sometimes the grasses, leaves, etc are brought in from quite a distance.
The males are very protective of their territory and will defend it vigorously from any perceived threat. No other bird is allowed to come near.
In a radio call-in show one observer of this process noted that a particular male had to build 40 nests before the female was satisfied. Either he was quite incompetent or else she was demanding beyond comprehension - but the poor fellow never gave up!
The males normally strip all the leaves from the branches around the nest so as to make it possible to see any enemies approaching - particularly snakes. With too many nests in a tree one can find the tree almost denuded of leaves.
So will he be successful this round? Which of the three are suitable for nesting? It all depends on the female when she comes to check out his handiwork.
In the photo below (from a separate camera shoot) the female rejected the quality of the nest after her inspection and the male had to start all over again.
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