For more information
on other animals found at Cub Creek Science Camp visit our
animal page.
Finch / Orange Bishop
Weaver
The Orange Bishop Weaver is a
beautiful bird which requires a lot of care and space in
order to breed and live happily. Unlike most other cage
birds it has not been breed in captivity for a long time.
Orange bishop weavers are native of sub-Saharan Africa from
Senegal to Ethiopia and south to Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya.
Although these Weavers are very timid towards humans the
males have one of the most beautiful plumage in the reign of
aviculture. When the cock is in colour the plumage around
his head will become of very bright orange while the rest of
his body will darken considerably. When out of color, the
cock resembles the hen (who never changes color) and
juveniles: tawny brown with dark streaks on the head and
back, a light brown chest, and cream belly.
The males should be provided
strands of long, coarse grass such as green fountain grass
and raffia. Some twigs and other nesting material such as
coconut fibre should be provided for the males to construct
their hanging nests with. Using these raw materials the
weaver males will build beautiful and strong nests in which
the females can deposit her eggs. After the cock builds his
nest(s) and selects a hen or two to mate with, he will do
little more to help the hen with her eggs or chicks. The hen
will lay, incubate, and rear the chicks almost entirely on
her own. Provide plenty of live food and soft food during
their breeding season & be sure to remove any young birds as
soon as they are independent, so that they are not harmed by
the highly territorial cock bird. Young cocks will not molt
into the orange & black nuptial plumage until about 2 years
of age, but they will begin weaving on their own much sooner
than that. This information was taken from
www.petngarden.com
At Cub Creek Science Camp we
have the Orange Bishop Weaver. Our young male is just
starting to come into color. They are an interesting
bird with great weaving skills. Our campers during
Science Camp may help provide them with weaving material for
their nests and learn more about these beautiful Orange
Bishop Weavers. They are housed in The Jungle area of
the Ranch in a large room with the Sloths.
