A few minutes on the internet have revealed some interesting facts, and cleared up two mysteries that have had me puzzled for a while now. It turns out this is a Village Weaver, introduced to Mauritius from Sub-Saharan Africa. The bright yellow feathers are his attempt to woo the ladies, and he's not always that well-dressed. They are known for living in colonies and making a lot of noise, often an aggressive chirping sound, which is probably what woke me up every morning at 5am for the first three months I was here.
More interestingly, my research has shown that these are the birds responsible for this :
I first saw these nests on a walk in Albion and had no idea what they were. They are so intricate and solid looking, it stands to reason that they would be made by a weaver, no? The male builds his nest and then hangs out in front of it, trying to attract the ladies. Once he has a mate in there laying eggs, he builds another nest and does the same again. Sometimes the colonies can have up to 200 nests, not all from the same bird though.
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