Editing Ploceidae (section)

==Behaviour and ecology==
Weavers are named for their elaborately woven nests. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within. The [[sociable weaver]]s of [[Africa]] build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. The [[Plocepasser mahali|sparrow weaver]]s live in family units that employ cooperative breeding.<ref name="lewis">{{cite journal |last1=Lewis |first1=Dale M. |title=Cooperative breeding in a population of White-browed Weavers ''Plocepasser mahali''. |journal=Ibis |date=3 April 2008 |volume=124 |issue=4 |pages=511–522 |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1982.tb03795.x }}</ref>
Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.

Many weaver species are gregarious and breed [[Bird colony|colonially]].<ref name="HBW"/> The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually, the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females.