Behavioural analysis of Village Weavers Ploceus cucullatus in an Ethiopian breeding colony during incubation: 1. Females

Abstract

We used video recordings to perform a behavioural analysis of a Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus colony in Awash National Park, Ethiopia. We focused specifically on female behaviour during the pair-formation, egg-laying and early-incubation phases of the nesting cycle. A factor analysis revealed that females’ temporal investments can be partitioned into three broad behavioural categories: (1) behaviours associated with aggression, (2) time away/ inside nest, and (3) behaviours associated with copulation. Time budgets revealed females spent approximately 61% of their time away from the colony and 38% of their time inside their nests. The performance of individual behaviours was largely a function of temporal and social factors, including when the birds were observed and the personality of the territorial male. Females invested more time away from the nest earlier and more time inside the nest later in the observation period. One aspect of a territorial male’s personality, boldness, was a predictor of several female behaviours: a female Village Weaver was significantly more likely to remain on a territory if the resident male had a tendency not to flee during colony-wide disturbances. Lastly, a path analysis revealed that females exhibited consistent sequential patterns of behaviour.