THE NESTS OF SYMPATRIC NATIVE AND INTRODUCED FODY FOUDIA SPECIES ON MAURITIUS

On upland Mauritius, an endemic and an introduced species of fody Foud ia (weavers Ploceidae) breed sympatrically and simultaneously: the Mau ritius Fody F. rubra and Madagascar Fody F. madagascariensis. The nest s of the two species are similar in most respects. However, in both ar chitecture (thick walls and copious lining) and material thigh proport ion of apparently rot-resistant materials), the nest of the endemic sp ecies seems better suited to the cool, very wet, local climate. Madaga scar Fodies' nests in the same area lack an inner lining, have thin wa lls and are composed of a limited selection of materials, the choice o f which seems relatively undiscerning. A possible explanation for this difference is suggested. Both species build an outer roofing layer on top of their nests, which has not been fully documented before, is un known in other genera and may be a waterproofing layer.