Southern Masked Weaver (also African Masked Weaver) Ploceus velatus

The Southern Masked Weaver is similar to the Village Weaver, but the male has a less extensive black face and less black on the back. The females are yellowy-brown with a lighter beak. Both Weavers are natives of Africa.

Starting with a single shred of palm leaf woven on to a twig, the male weaver constructs a suspended nest protected from the elements and from predators by an entrance in the base. The nest is woven entirely from shreds of palm leaves, reeds and grasses. He builds several of these complex woven nests each year to attract females, both because females (who will line the chosen nest with soft down and grasses) are choosy and because he will have multiple partners in different nests.