News: Finn’s Weaver Bird is in the news because its population is rapidly declining in the Terai region.
About Finn’s Weaver
- The Finn’s Baya (Ploceus megarhynchus) is also called as Finn’s Weaver, Yellow Weaver and Himalayan Weaver.
- In Uttarakhand, it is called Pahari (hill) Baya.
- Naming: The weaver bird was named Finn’s Weaver after Frank Finn, the British officer who identified the bright yellow colour during the breeding season.
- First identified by: It was first identified by A O Hume (father of Indian ornithology).
- Habitat: It lives near dams and reservoirs where marshy soil, water and tall grasses provide nesting sites.
- Distribution: It is native to the Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys in India and Nepal, especially the Terai grasslands.
- Diet:
- Finn’s Weavers are primarilyGranivorous.
- It is also an opportunistically (during the breeding period) insectivorous.
- Conservation status
- IUCN Red list: It is in Endangered category.
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: It is placed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- Threats: Expansion of agriculture, grass cutting, construction and water management decisions, along with floods, crow attacks and breeding failures, threaten this species.
