Mask-kangurlind, Ploceus velatus

Kui esmaspäeval oli pilt Eesti kangurlinnust, siis täna pakun vaatamiseks väikest galeriid ühest Lõuna-Aafrika kudujast. Eks see pesapunumine vajab ikka parajat akrobaatikat. Teisalt saab isane igal aastal kõvasti harjutada, sest keskmiselt teeb ta ühel pesitsushooajal üle 20 pesa. Paarilisi tal päris niipalju ei ole, kuid tundub, et nende kangurlindude seas on siiski paras peiupõud :) Gautengi provints, LAV.

On Monday there was a photo of Estonian only weaver bird but today there is a little gallery of its African relative - Southern Masked Weaver. The nest weaving is tricky, you have to be quite an acrobat to get it right. On the other hand the male gets a lot of practice because each season it builds over 20 nests. Though it does not have that many partners, it seems that there still is a lack of grooms in this weaver society :) Gauteng province, South Africa.

Mask-kangurlind, Ploceus velatus

Pildil on mask-kangurlinnu isaslind, kes vaikselt kogub pesaehitusmaterjali ning valmistub paaritushooajaks. Isaslind punub pesa valmis ning kui emasele see meeldib, siis vooderdab ta tooriku seestpoolt lehtede ja sulgedega. Pretoria, Lõuna-Aafrika Vabariik.

Male Southern Masked Weaver is gathering nest building materials and waiting for the breeding season. The nest is built solely by the male and if the female accepts it, she lines the interior with leaves and feathers. Pretoria, South Africa.

Mask-kangurlind, Ploceus velatus

Mask-kangurlinnu liik on nutikas. Selleks, et ta saaks pesitsusperioodil keskenduda oma järglaste kasvatamisele ning mitte tegeleda hiiglasliku käopoja toitmisega (käod kasutavat tihti kangurlindude "au pair teenuseid"), muneb ta erivärvilisi mune. Seega kui kägu juhtub tema torujasse peasasse sisse ronima ning sinna oma muna munema, jääb ta väga kiirelt vahele. Valet värvi muna lendab pesast välja koos muu prahiga. Royal Natali rahvuspark, Lõuna-Aafrika Vabariik.

Southern Masked Weaver is a clever bird. To be able to concentrate on raising its own young during the nesting period and not to deal with feeding the enormous cuckoo offspring (cuckoos often use the "au pair services" of the weavers), it has a neat trick - it lays eggs of a various colour. So if cuckoo manages to climb into its tubular nest and lay an egg there, the crime will be easily detected. Eggs of the wrong colouration are ejected from the nest by the owners with other trash. Royal Natal National Park, South Africa.