The Pattern of Migration of Village Weaverbirds (Ploceus cucullatus) in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Abstract I investigated the migration of Village Weaverbirds (Ploceus cucullatus) in southwestern Nigeria in order to determine the sources of birds causing crop damage. I observed banded adult, juvenile, and nestling weaverbirds at their colonies, roosts, and feeding grounds. Over a 21-month period, 6 birds were recaptured at the point of ringing and another 6 at a maximum distance of 1.5 km from the point of ringing. This and other observations indicate that Village Weaverbirds do not undertake long-distance migrations and that local bird populations cause the damage to local crops. Some Village Weaverbirds roost on shrubs and grasses throughout the year, some breed and sleep in colonies in villages from January to early August and from October to early December, and some roost in tall trees near human dwellings from late December to April. The birds roosting on shrubs and grasses are more accessible than the birds roosting in tall trees, and their elimination would provide a more effective means of control than does the present method of scaring the birds from a particular area.