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- Ploceus intermedius
Identification
Length 13-14 cm.
Adult male: A 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 bill.
All adults have the greyish legs, but very young juveniles can have pink legs.
Adult female has a pale pinkish-grey bill.
Distribution
Africa: North-eastern South Africa to Congo, DRC and Ethiopia, with an isolated popualtion in Central African Republic.
Taxonomy
The Lesser Masked Weaver has four subspecies:1
- P. i. intermedius
- P. i. beattyi
- Arid coastal western Angola
- P. i. lübberti
- P. i. cabanisii
- South-eastern Zaire to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and eastern South Africa
Habitat
Open woodland close to water.
Behaviour
Forages in tree canopy for insects and nectar. Also eats flowers, fruit and small seeds.
Breeding
Colonial breeder. It makes a round nest from grass, with an entrance at the bottom. Two to four eggs are incubated for 13 days by the female. Parasitised by Dideric Cuckoo and (rarely) Klaas's Cuckoo.
References
- Clements JF. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2008. Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
- Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299
- Birdforum thread discussing id of this species versus Vitelline Weaver
- Sinclair et al. 2002. Birds of Southern Africa. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-09682-1
