White-billed Buffalo-weaver
Encyclopedia
The White-billed Buffalo Weaver (Bubalornis albirostris) is a resident breeding bird
species in most of Africa
south of the Sahara Desert.
This common weaver occurs in open country, especially cultivation and scrub. It is a communal breeder, building massive untidy stick nests in tree colonies, each of which may have several spherical woven nests within. Two to four eggs are laid.
The White-billed Buffalo Weaver is large and stocky, commonly measuring 23 to 24 centimeters. The adult is mainly black with white flecking on the back and wings. The conical bill is very thick, and appears more so because it is surmounted by a white frontal head shield. The bill is white in breeding males.
The adult female and non-breeding male are similar, but the bill is black. Young birds are dark brown in plumage.
The White-billed Buffalo Weaver is a gregarious species which feeds on grain and insects. This is a noisy bird, especially in colonies
, with a range of cackles and squeaks.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species in most of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
south of the Sahara Desert.
This common weaver occurs in open country, especially cultivation and scrub. It is a communal breeder, building massive untidy stick nests in tree colonies, each of which may have several spherical woven nests within. Two to four eggs are laid.
The White-billed Buffalo Weaver is large and stocky, commonly measuring 23 to 24 centimeters. The adult is mainly black with white flecking on the back and wings. The conical bill is very thick, and appears more so because it is surmounted by a white frontal head shield. The bill is white in breeding males.
The adult female and non-breeding male are similar, but the bill is black. Young birds are dark brown in plumage.
The White-billed Buffalo Weaver is a gregarious species which feeds on grain and insects. This is a noisy bird, especially in colonies
Bird colony
A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in close proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony...
, with a range of cackles and squeaks.