Africa Wild Bird Book

[Toko]

815. Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius (Kleingeelvink)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Lesser Masked Weaver.jpg (40.71 KiB) Viewed 1588 times

Description
Length 13-14 cm.
Adult male: Yellow pale-eyed masked weaver; the black mask extends onto the front half of the crown, and has a notch above the eye. Male has a black thin bill.
Adult female has a pale pinkish-grey bill and has no mask and a dark eye.
All adults have the greyish legs, but very young juveniles can have pink legs. Juveniles in addition have dark eyes and whitish bellies.

Distribution
Occurs from Ethiopia through Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola to southern Africa. Here it is locally common across the northern half of the region, from northern Namibia to Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa.



Habitat
Habitats with or close to water, such as Acacia savanna, open woodland, riverine trees, reedbeds, swamps and mangroves.

Diet
It mainly eats insects (especially caterpillars) and nectar, doing most of its foraging in the tree canopy, gleaning prey from foliage and flowers.

Breeding
Polygynous, as males mate with multiple females in a breeding season, living in colonies of 20-30, rarely up to 200 nests. The nest is built solely by the male, consisting of a sturdy but thin-walled kidney-shaped structure, with a downward-pointed short entrance tunnel. It is usually made of narrow strips of grass, reeds or palm leaves and, if accepted by the female, she lines the interior with silky grey fibres. It is typically placed at the end of a branch, in the foliage of a tree or bush, in a patch of reeds, at the edge of a roof or suspended from a telephone wire. Egg-laying season is from August-March, peaking from October-January. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 13 days. The chicks are mainly brooded and fed by the female, leaving the nest after about 15-16 days.
Parasitised by Dideric Cuckoo and (rarely) Klaas's Cuckoo.

Call
Typical rasping, weaver swizzles. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Locally common resident.

[Toko]

815. Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, Feb 2020

© Pumbaa
Kruger National Park, Biyamiti weir, Feb 2020

© Sprocky
Breeding male P. i. cabanisii

© Pumbaa

© ExFmem
Kruger National Park, Bateleur camp


© leachy
Non-breeding male, Kruger National Park, S21

© Pumbaa
Female

© leachy
Female, Kruger National Park, Lower Sabie

© Pumbaa
Female

© BluTuna
Breeding male

Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/species_info.p ... #menu_left
Weaver Wednesday: Lesser Masked Weaver
Iris colours in ageing and sexing South African Ploceus weavers. Afring News 40:7-12

[Toko]

814. Southern Masked Weaver (Formerly known as Masked Weaver) Ploceus velatus (Swaartkeelgeelvink)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Southern Masked Weaver.jpg (48.91 KiB) Viewed 1585 times

Description
Length 11-15 cm, weight 29-45 g. Males are larger than females.
Breeding male: Black mask terminates on the forehead and forms a point on the throat. Black beak, red eye, bright yellow head and underparts, plain yellowish-green back, short, strong, conical bill and pink brown legs. Distinguished from slightly larger Village Weaver by plain (not blotched) back. Separated from smaller Lesser Masked Weaver by red (not whitish-yellow) eyes, heavier bill, yellow (not black) crown and brownish-pink (not grey) legs.
Adult female and non-breeding male: Pink-brown bill, brown or red-brown eye.
Female: Yellow-buff above, throat and breast yellowish. Non-breeding birds paler below with whitish belly.
The non-breeding male resembles the female, lacks black face mask but retains the red eye and has considerable variation in shades of plum­age.
Juvenile: Similar to the non-breeding female. Young Southern Masked Weavers have whitish bellies.

Distribution
It occurs across southern Africa even in arid areas, extending into Angola, Zambia and Malawi.

Habitat
It generally favours semi-arid scrub, open savanna, woodland edges, riverine thicket, farmland with scattered trees, alien tree plantations and gardens.

Diet
It mainly eats seeds, fruit, insects and nectar, doing most of its foraging in small flocks, gleaning prey from leaves and branches, taking seeds from the ground and grass stems.

Breeding
Polygynous, as males may mate with up to about 12 females in a single breeding season, living in colonies with 1-9 males in total, while each female may often rear multiple broods per breeding season. It is much less aggressive in comparison to most other weavers, although it viciously attacks Diderick cuckoos if they enter its territory. The nest is built solely by the male, consisting of a kidney-shaped structure with a large entrance on the bottom, made of woven grass, palm leaves or reeds with a ceiling of leaves, such as Acacia and Eucalyptus. If the female accepts the nest she lines the interior with leaves, grass inflorescences and feathers. Egg-laying season is from July-March, peaking from September-February. It lays 1-6, usually 2-4 eggs, which are incubated solely by the female for about 12-14 days. The chicks are fed by the female only on a diet of soft insect larvae and grasshoppers, leaving the nest after about 16-17 days.
Regularly parasitised by Diderick Cuckoo.

Call
Series of buzzy swizzling and churring phrases, also sharp zik-zik. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident. Gregarious and sedentary, but partially migratory in north-west.

[Toko]

814. Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus

© Toko
Male, Bontebok National Park

© Dewi
Kruger National Park

© BluTuna
Male

© nan
Female

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© Penga Ndlovu

© nan
Male

© nan
Male

© nan
Female inspecting the nest

Links:
Species text Sabap1
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Weaver Wednesday: Southern Masked Weaver
Iris colours in ageing and sexing South African Ploceus weavers. Afring News 40:7-12

[Sprocky]

811. Village Weaver (Formerly known as Spotted-backed Weaver) Ploceus cucullatus (Bontrugwewer)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Village Weaver2.jpg (55.77 KiB) Viewed 1603 times

Description
15–17cm. Black mask extends only to forehead in southern race, and to crown in northern race nigriceps. Distinguished from other masked weavers by heavily blotched back. Strong, conical bill is black. Eyes are red. Legs and feet are pinkish brown.
The breeding male in the northern part of its range has a black head edged by chestnut. The breeding males of the southernmost subspecies only have a black face and throat, while the nape and crown are yellow. In all subspecies the breeding male has a black bill, black and yellow upperparts and wings, and yellow underparts.
Female and non-breeding male have a yellow head with an greenish crown. Back is grey-brown, but variable, and we can see darker streaks on central feathers. Underparts are yellow, but some individuals have greyish belly. Wings remain yellow and black.grey upperparts and whitish underparts. The wings remain yellow and black. Both have prominent yellow supercilium. Eyes are reddish. Strong bill is fleshy-horn coloured.
Juveniles are like the female but browner on the back.

Distribution
Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, from Mauritania to Ethiopia south to southern Africa, where it is common from Zimbabwe and Mozambique to the eastern half of South Africa, with localised populations in northern Botswana and north-eastern Namibia.

P. c. nigriceps: s Somalia and e Kenya through e, s Tanzania to se DR Congo, s Angola and ne Namibia, w Zimbabwe, e Zambia and c Mozambique
P. c. spilonotus: se Botswana, e South Africa and s Mozambique

Habitat
Wide range of woodlands, parks and gardens; usually near water.

Diet
Insects, seeds and nectar.

Breeding
Polygynous, territorial colonial nester, with colonies of about 10-300 breeding males, each mating with up to 5, usually 2 females per breeding season. Each male defends a small territory around his nests, displaying and advertising themselves by erecting their mantle feathers and chasing the female, in a bid for her to inspect the nest. If she accepts that the nest's structure is secure they mate and use it to rear their brood. Each male builds 3-5 nests, each taking about 9-15 hours to complete, consisting of a kidney shaped structure with a large entrance in the underside. It is usually woven from green strips of reeds, grass leaves or palm blades; if accepted by the female he adds a short entrance tunnel, while the female lines the interior with soft grass heads and feathers. It is typically attached to the thin branch of a tall, free-standing tree, and is never used more than once. Egg-laying season is from August-April, peaking twice from September-October and from January-February. 2-5 eggs are laid and incubated solely by the female for about 12 days. The chicks are brooded by the female only but fed by both parents on a diet of mainly insects, leaving the nest after about 17-21 days.

Call
A throaty chuk-chuk. Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Common resident.

[Sprocky]

811. Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus


Male

© nan
Male, Kruger National Park

© Lisbeth

© Lisbeth

© Lisbeth
Female

© Lisbeth
Juvenile

© Flutterby
Female

© Flutterby

© Flutterby
Pilanesberg

© nan
Kruger National Park

Links:
Sabap2: http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Species text Sabap1
Oiseaux net: http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-village-weaver.html
Iris colours in ageing and sexing South African Ploceus weavers. Afring News 40:7-12
Weaver Wednesday: Village Weaver

[Dewi]

808. Dark-backed Weaver (formerly known as Forest Weaver) Ploceus bicolor (Bosmusikant)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Dark-backed Weaver.jpg (33.68 KiB) Viewed 1633 times

Description
Length 13-16 cm, mass 28-57 g.
Adult: Dark brown upperparts and golden-yellow under parts. The back is grey in some races. The eyes are dark brown and the legs brown. Sexes are alike.
Immature: Similar to the adult, but duller, with a black and white grizzlerd forehead and throat.

Distribution
Occurs in patches from Cameroon and Somalia through southern DRC, Zambia, Angola and Tanzania to southern Africa. Here it is common from Mozambique and the extreme east of Zimbabwe to KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
It occurs in coastal, riverine and inland forests from the eastern Cape Province northwards. In Zimbabwe it is found in the southeastern lowveld, the eastern highlands, and along the Mazowe River. It is widespread in suitable habitat in southern Mozambique.
There are five subspecies in the region. P. b. bicolor occurs along the coast northwards to about Mtunzini, where a relative stronghold of lowland sclateri begins, and lebomboensis is found further north and in the Lebombo Mountains. In the highlands of eastern Zimbabwe, birds belong to the endemic race sylvanus, while those in the lowlands to the north and south are stictifrons.

Habitat
Riverine vegetation in coastal thickets and evergreen forests.

Diet
A largely insectivorous weaver. It mainly eats arthropods supplemented with fruit, nectar and flowers, doing most of its foraging in the canopy, gleaning from leaves and branches. It often joins mixed-species foraging flocks, also hawking insects aerially and plucking prey from the ground.

Breeding
Monogamous, territorial and solitary. The nest is built by both sexes or just the male in about 7-9 days, starting by weaving a simple ring which is extended into a retort shape, with a long tunnel at a slight angle at the base. It is woven with stiff material such as thin vines, creepers, Asparagus leaves and Russet secamone (Secamone alpinii), while the interior is lined with softer material, especially old-man's-beard lichen (Usnea). It is typically attached to the tip of a branch or creeper, anywhere from 2-15 metres above ground. Egg-laying season is from September-February, peaking from November-December. It lays 2-4 eggs, which are incubated for about 15-17 days. The chicks are fed by both parents, leaving the nest after about 22 days, after which they may only become independent up to 6 weeks later.

Call
Melodious, almost flute-like notes, often sung in duet. A high-pitched series of varied notes fo-fo-fo-fwee Listen to Bird Call.

Status
Resident. Common in suitable habitat throughout range.

[Dewi]

808. Dark-backed Weaver Ploceus bicolor




KZN

Links:
Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds
Sabap2
Weaver Wednesday: Dark-backed Weaver

[Toko]

819. Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps (Rooikopwewer)
Order: Passeriformes. Family: Ploceidae

Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps.jpg (21.33 KiB) Viewed 1633 times

Description
Length 13-15cm, weight 17-26g.
The vivid red head, breast and mantle of the breeding male Red-headed Weaver are diagnostic. Red thin bill. White underparts.
Females and non breeding males havea bright yellow head with orange bill and a clear white belly.

Distribution
Occurs across much of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the lowland forests of West Africa and central DRC, from Senegal to Somalia south to southern Africa. Here it is uncommon to fairly common from north-eastern Namibia through northern and eastern Botswana to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and north-eastern South Africa.
In West and East Africa the male has a black mask; one race in East Africa has a red plumage.

Habitat
It generally prefers broad-leaved (especially miombo (Brachystegia) woodland, Acacia savanna, bushveld and gardens, usually of farms.

Diet
It mainly eats arthropods, supplemented with seeds and fruit, gleaning food from the foliage of trees, bushes and creepers. It also hawks insects aerially and plucks spiders from their webs, often joining mixed species foraging flocks.

Breeding
Monogamous but sometimes polygynous, as one male may mate with multiple females within a colony. The nest is built solely by the male, consisting of an upside-down bottle-shaped structure (i.e. an rough oval with a vertical entrance hole at the base) made of leaf midribs, twigs, grass stems, broad leaves and tendrils (rather than green grass as in most Ploceus weavers). Once it is approved by the female she lines the interior with bark fibres, feathers, dry grass or leaves. It is typically strung from a few twigs beneath the canopy of a tree, such as the Baobab (Adansonia digitata), but it also regularly uses man-made objects such as windmill vanes, telephone wires and edge of thatched roofs. It often nests in the vicinity of other weaver species or even raptors such the African Hawk-eagle (Aquila spilogaster). Egg-laying season is from July-February, peaking from September-November. It lays 1-4 eggs, usually 2-3 eggs, which are incubated mainly by the female for about 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by both sexes but mostly the female, leaving the nest after roughly 17 days.

Call
Cherrra-cherrra.

Status
Locally common resident.

[Toko]

819. Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps

© JustN@ture
Male

© JustN@ture
Breeding male, Kruger National Park

© Lisbeth
Breeding male, Kruger National Park

© BluTuna
Breeding male

© Flutterby
Breeding male

© Duke
Non-breeding male, Borakalalo, North West

© Dewi
Non-breeding male, Shingwedzi, Kruger National Park

© Flutterby
Female


Links:
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/819.pdf
http://sabap2.adu.org.za/spp_summary.ph ... &section=3
Weaver Wednesday: Red-headed Weaver