It may simply go unnoticed most of the year, passing off for the common house sparrow, but come monsoon time, and the baya - weaver bird - suddenly struts it stuff! The male develops a bright yellow breeding plumage on the top of its head and on its breast, to attract the female. It then goes several steps forward in its sophisticated wooing program: It builds a nest that has been hailed by naturalists all over the world as an architectural marvel. We've all seen those intriguing nests hanging from trees like so many long-necked pots.

The bird first chooses strongly upward-pointing branches, of a tree, often the babool, which will take the weight of its nest. It then searches out pliant twigs and grasses to begin its masterful weaving activity. The nests are made entirely out of strips of grass, which the birds collect by cutting a notch in a tall grass, then stripping off a 30-60cm length. With this it puts together a tightly woven structure with a long entrance tunnel, and a nesting chamber within. The long tunnel makes it difficult for snakes to enter the nest.

The site chosen is usually a tree that stands over paddy cultivation, or over a well or other water body, ensuring cool air and safety from predators. Blobs of mud collected when wet, are stuck inside the dome of the nest, near the egg chamber as additional reinforcement and insulation. Although they look precarious, most nests are very well attached and are impossible to remove without almost destroying the nest. The nests last well through the 3-month breeding season, sometimes even up to a year. After the breeding season, other small birds may roost in the abandoned nests.

Half way through building activity, females come on inspection rounds, checking out if the structure is to their satisfaction, and if it's good enough for them to lay eggs and hatch babies in! They literally examine each nest in a fussy, inquisitive way, and if they're not satisfied with what they see, they will simply turn the guy down. Not only that, they will even register their displeasure by pulling at one of the key strands that moors the nest to the twig, and let the male's dreams simply fall to the ground.

If the nest pasts the quality test, the pair will mate. One male has several such nests and females at the same time. Each nest has 2-4 pure white eggs, which the female incubates.

You know there's building activity beginning in your area once you spot the yellow-headed males, hear their sparrow-like chit-chit-chit, or see much flapping of wings in the trees that they select. Huge colonies of nests come up, especially near food sources, like fields and open cultivation, where there is ample grain and insects to feed on and feed the young with.

Anandi