“I returned to this site today to do some follow up bird work. I again observed Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus infortunatus), possibly the same flock, feeding on nectar. I initially spotted them feeding on the nectar of the Water Jambu (Syzygium samarangense) and later again on the Callistemon sp. (Bottlebrush) trees.
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
12th April 2015
Location: Tambun Interior, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Secondary growth near limestone hills, vegetable and fish farms
Note 1 by Amar:
“A net search revealed some support for my observations:
1. The Weaver Watch (Monitoring the Weavers of the World) site states about food that “The Baya Weaver feeds on seeds, including those of grass, rice, wheat, maize, sorghum, millet and sunflowers. Insects include grasshoppers, flies, termites, beetles, caterpillars and butterflies. It also feeds on nectar, spiders, small snails, and rice frogs. Rice is often the most important food item” LINK.
2. One site maintained by the Indian Institute of Technology lists nectar as a food source LINK.
3. Some other weavers (e.g. Southern masked weaver) are also are noted to take nectar LINK.
Note 2 by Dieter Oschadleus
Nectar feeding is undertaken by many birds opportunistically. The literature lists 43 weaver species that have fed on nectar – for some of these species there are only single records, but for others there are many records. A list of these weavers may be seen at this LINK. Of course there are also many other species (bulbuls etc) that also opportunistically feed on nectar. Often the opportunistic feeders are nectar robbers but sometimes they also help pollinate the plants in the way sunbirds and hummingbirds do.”