Asian Golden Weaver
Ploceus hypoxanthus
Bright yellow finch with a thick, powerful bill. Male is daffodil-yellow with a black mask, dark bill, and scaly speckling on the back. Female is duller yellow with light pink in the bill, weaker back patterning, and a much fainter head pattern. Baya Weaver is less extensively yellow, with the female having darker patterning on the back and wings than Asian Golden Weaver. Inhabits lowland wet farmland and natural wetlands where the male builds round grass nests in small colonies. Native to mainland Southeast Asia and Sumatra; introduced to Singapore.
Identification
The breeding male is generally bright yellow with a black mask (diagnostic in Asia). Females, non-breeding males and young birds are dull coloured and difficult to distinguish from the Baya Weaver, with their thicker bills being the only thing that sets them apart. In general, Asian golden weavers are considered medium-sized birds with yellow and black upperparts, along with yellow underparts. They possess a black face, yellow crown, a strong black bill, and have an average length of 22 centimeters.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ploceus hypoxanthus
- Authority
- (Sparrman, 1788)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Ploceus
Range and habitat
There are two distinct subspecies of the Asian golden weaver, and these include the P. h. hypoxanthus, found in Indonesia: eastern Sumatra and western Java, and the P. h. hymenaicus, found in Myanmar (including Tenasserim), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and southern Vietnam This subspecies has the feathers of the mantle fringed with a more greenish yellow, and has the upper breast more strongly suffused with raw sienna.<p>The Asian Golden Weaver was formerly more ordinary in the areas of Java and Sumatra, but it is now localized and considered rare in today's age. Its population is showing a continued decline throughout its range as wetlands are converted to agriculture. There is also direct persecution and capture of these weavers for the bird trade, and colonies are often robbed and destroyed by people. The oldest bird is 11 years of age.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Asian golden weavers are primarily presumed residents, meaning they are often found in their most comfortable locations. The most common habitats of the Asian golden weaver would include the lowlands, usually those with a close proximity to water; some of these areas would involve marshes, rice paddies, flooded grasslands, and swamps. In addition, this weaver feeds mainly on seeds, and during breeding, insects usually account for only 7% of their diet.<p>While this weaver is not threatened on a global scale, it still possesses a conservation status of Near Threatened, due primarily to a moderate population decline.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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