Chestnut Weaver - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo by Solomon
Sesah, Eritrea, August 2006

Ploceus rubiginosus

Identification

14cm

• Black head
• Chestnut back and underparts
• White throat
• Brown iris and bill
• Grey legs
  

Females and non-breeding males are drab, sparrow-like birds.

Distribution

Africa
Western Africa: found only in Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
Southern Africa: Namibia and Botswana

Non-breeding
Photo by jdbirdman
Waterberg, Namibia, November 2004

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are 2 subspecies:

• P. r. trothae:

• Acacia savanna of south-western Angola, northern Namibia and Botswana

• P. r. rubiginosus:

• Extreme south-eastern Sudan to Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and northern Tanzania

Habitat

Thornveld and dry broadleaved woodland.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes seeds, butterflies, wasps, locusts, bees, ants, flowers and nectar.

Breeding

Photo by safariranger
Etosha National Park, Namibia

Mongamous and colony breeder. Its large, coarsely woven nest is made of grass and leaf strips, has a downward facing entrance and is suspended from a branch. 1-6 white eggs are laid.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. Birds of Eden

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chestnut Weaver. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut_Weaver

External Links

Search for photos of Chestnut Weaver in the gallery