[This was written by Fran Siebrits and published online by Wild Magazine http://www.wildcard.co.za/, 2011]
If you’ve ever observed a weaver at work, you know it takes the bird time and effort to construct its nest. Now research from Botswana indicates that quite a lot of intelligence and skill also go into it.
Exactly how would a male weaver bird approach building a nest? Perhaps the location is chosen first, a particular twig at a specific angle in its favourite tree. Or maybe the material is first sourced and a nest built close in the vicinity. Are birds fussy about the height or whether their nest is in a shady spot?
The details involved in designing and constructing a nest are all speculation at present. Nest building is believed to be an innate form of behaviour that is ‘built in’, which the birds act on automatically. But a recent study on the southern masked weaver (Ploceus velatus) in Botswana has sparked an interest in bird research as it shows that birds actually learn this skill, and don’t just go on autopilot.
The weavers were observed to differ in their approach to building a nest. Some males built their nest from right to left, others from left to right. Many different techniques were used. Some would even select specific blades of grass and reject others as they advanced in this field, implying the ability to learn and adapt accordingly.
"If birds built their nests according to a genetic template, you would expect all birds to build their nests the same way each time,” said Dr Patrick Walsh from the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences.
More advanced animals have the ability to learn, not just develop skills through repetition as is the case with lesser evolved ones. The variation in techniques of nest building in the study on the Botswana weavers shows that these birds are more advanced than previously thought.
Source:
University of Edinburgh (26 September 2011). Feathered friends are far from bird-brained when building nests. ScienceDaily. Viewed online [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110925192704.htm]
If you’ve ever observed a weaver at work, you know it takes the bird time and effort to construct its nest. Now research from Botswana indicates that quite a lot of intelligence and skill also go into it.
Exactly how would a male weaver bird approach building a nest? Perhaps the location is chosen first, a particular twig at a specific angle in its favourite tree. Or maybe the material is first sourced and a nest built close in the vicinity. Are birds fussy about the height or whether their nest is in a shady spot?
The details involved in designing and constructing a nest are all speculation at present. Nest building is believed to be an innate form of behaviour that is ‘built in’, which the birds act on automatically. But a recent study on the southern masked weaver (Ploceus velatus) in Botswana has sparked an interest in bird research as it shows that birds actually learn this skill, and don’t just go on autopilot.
The weavers were observed to differ in their approach to building a nest. Some males built their nest from right to left, others from left to right. Many different techniques were used. Some would even select specific blades of grass and reject others as they advanced in this field, implying the ability to learn and adapt accordingly.
"If birds built their nests according to a genetic template, you would expect all birds to build their nests the same way each time,” said Dr Patrick Walsh from the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences.
More advanced animals have the ability to learn, not just develop skills through repetition as is the case with lesser evolved ones. The variation in techniques of nest building in the study on the Botswana weavers shows that these birds are more advanced than previously thought.
Source:
University of Edinburgh (26 September 2011). Feathered friends are far from bird-brained when building nests. ScienceDaily. Viewed online [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110925192704.htm]
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