Cape weaver birds (Ploceus capensis) are endemic to South Africa, although there are other species that live elsewhere across the continent. They live in noisy colonies where they construct hanging nests out of woven plant fibers in a cantaloupe-sized ball. The nests have a downward-facing entrance, which discourages tree-climbing snakes and other predators from raiding the nests. That plus the pendulous location suspended from the tips of swinging branches means they are usually fairly safe from predators, although I do have to wonder how many chicks and eggs fall out of the bottom! These weavers were photographed in the courtyard of the Marine Hotel in Hermanus, Western Cape where we stayed for 4 nights in mid-September 2016.

Males are quite colorful in breeding season, while females are duller albeit with a similar pattern of paler yellows.

Males construct most of the nests and make noisy displays of chirping and fluttering as they hang underneath the new nests as they try to attract females. The green nest he’s working on is fairly fresh and hasn’t faded to tan, like the slightly older nest of another bird below him.

Pendulous! Dangulous! Hangulous! Swingulous!

The colony in the courtyard of the Marine Hotel in Hermanus had probably between 50 and 80 pairs of weavers in a bottlebrush tree (Callistemon sp). They make quite a racket but are lively and interesting to watch.