weaver

Any small bird of the family Ploceidae, order Passeriformes; they are mostly about 15 cm/6 in long. The majority of weavers are African, a few Asian. The males use grasses to weave elaborate globular nests in bushes and trees. The nests are entered from beneath, and the male hangs from it calling and flapping his wings to attract a female. Their bodies are somewhat elongated and the tails long, and the prominent conical bill is very powerful. They eat insects and may eat cultivated grain. Males are often more brightly coloured than females.

Many kinds are polygamous, so build several nests, and some species build large communal nests with many chambers. One species, the red-billed African quelea Quelea quelea, lives and breeds in flocks numbering many thousands of individuals; the flocks migrate to follow food sources. Their destructive power can equal that of locusts.

Weaver

River in Cheshire, England; length 80 km/50 mi. The Weaver rises in the hills in the southwest of the county, and flows into the Mersey near Frodsham. Nantwich and Northwich are towns along its banks. It is embanked for its last 30 km/19 mi and links up with the Trent and Mersey Canal.