Vine-weaver bird

Vine-weaver birds are intelligent birds native to Topaz territory.

History
Vine-weaver birds have apparently existed in Deltora for some time, as they are mentioned in the Tenna Birdsong Tale of the seven goblins, who were truly Pirrans, part of the Plumes tribe. Vine-weaver birds noticed the Plumes as they travelled through the Os-Mine Hills.

Secrets of Deltora
Doran studied and described vine-weaver birds in his traveller's guide Secrets of Deltora.

Cavern of The Fear
A flock of vine-weaver birds freed Lief and Barda when they had been captured by Granous and abandoned by Jinks. The birds then led the two men to Jinks' Fighting Spider Fury, who had gotten herself tangled in the birds' vines and disturbed them with noise. Lief and Barda freed Fury and continued on their journey.

As they journeyed deeper Lief and Barda stumbled upon the ground beneath the forest. They realised that after hundreds of years vine-weaver birds had weaved a forest so thick, that falling berries fell not onto the ground below, but forks of trees and old nests. The seeds took root and grew on top of the old, leaving the ground a secret to all but other birds, moths and the trees.

Dragon's Nest
When the Topaz Dragon, Fidelis, was awoken from his sleep, he destroyed a large portion of the underground forest and scatted many vine-weaver birds into the sky.

Behaviour
Vine-weaver birds are so named because of the intricate, net-like nests they weave out of the vines in the Os-Mine Hills. They live in large flocks and constantly repair and enlarge their expansive, complicated nests. Vine-weavers can tie knots with remarkable skill and untie knots equally well.The birds whistle to signal dawn or to communicate impatience.

Vine-weaver birds are highly intelligent. When a flock of vine-weavers was disturbed by Fury, one of the flock deliberately freed Lief and Barda from the Granous and led them to the trapped spider, knowing that they would take it away. Lief observed that the birds believed that one good deed deserved another.

Anatomy
Vine-weaver birds are small, grey, unimpressive-looking birds with long, narrow beaks. They have black eyes and their beaks are quite sharp.

Habitat
Vine-weaver birds live in the Os-Mine Hills of Topaz territory. They often weave their nests at the tops of high trees, keeping themselves out of reach of predators. Their nests are so strong, they were able to create a surface between the treetops to allow a second forest to grow atop it.

Diet
Vine-weaver birds eat berries.