Cape Weaver nesting association and interactions with waterbirds

Abstract

A weaver-waterbird nesting association of three species, namely Cape Weavers, Reed Cormorants and a Hadeda Ibis pair, is described from Cape Town. The polygynous Cape Weavers were actively breeding from June to November 2015, with the Hadedas breeding from July to September, and the Reed Cormorants from late August to October. Several predators were seen in the area, but none elicited a response from the weavers or waterbirds, except a pair of calling Forest Buzzards which silenced the majority of the weaver colony. The weavers started building in the colony first, but when the cormorants arrived, the weavers seemed to build new nests around the cormorant nests.