Baya weaver bird on the verge of extinction in Odisha

Boudh: God has created many living beings. Some of these are very strange. The baya weaver bird, commonly known as ‘Bai Chadhei’ in Odisha is one such astonishing creature of God.

This weaving bird makes its nest hanging from the high branches of palm, date and coconut trees. They prefer tall trees as the predators will find it tough to reach. Such intricately woven nests have been witnessed these days in different places of the Boudh district of Odisha.

Baya weaver birds have been conferred protected status and listed in schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The nest of baya weaver bird is weaved in such a way that it does not gets destroyed even in rain or storm. Besides, the bird also has a soothing voice.

Many poems and songs have been composed in Odia on ‘Bai Chadhei’. ‘Dho re Baya Dho’ by Palli kavi Nanda Kishore Bala is one of the very popular works on the weaver bird. Besides, legend Ganandhar Meher has also written on this tiny bird. Kailash Patnaik has written about this bird in his novel ‘Sthabara Jangama’.

Be it a farmer or a visitor, all the sorrows are forgotten with the view of this bird.

Nowadays, the nest of the bird is not seen anymore. Deforestation has contributed a lot of danger for which these nests are gradually disappearing.

People have constructed buildings even in forests. Loss of the green covers has attributed towards extinction of these birds. As a result, there is no more place for these birds to live and so now on the verge of extinction.