Black-necked Weaver - BirdForum Opus

P. n. nigricollis; male
Photo © by MURAMURA
Kibale Forest, Western Uganda, January 2007

Ploceus nigricollis

Identification

16cm
Male (nominate race)

• Blackish upperparts and wings
• Yellow underparts
• Head golden with chestnut wash
• Black eyemask and bib
• Pale yellow iris
• Strong conical bill
  

Female (nominate race)

• Blackish crown, upperparts and wings
• Yellow underparts and eyebrow
• Black eye-stripe but no bib
  

P. n. nigricollis; female
Photo © by MURAMURA
Kibale Forest Western Uganda

Both males and females of subspecies brachypterus (from western Cameroon west to the Gambia) have olive-green backs.

Similar Species

The green-backed subspecies (see Taxonomy below) should be separated with care from the Spectacled Weaver where both occur (eastern Nigeria and western Cameroon). The Black-necked Weaver shows more olive and less yellow on the head (especially the crown area in females) and a thicker bill.

Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania
African Islands: Gulf of Guinea Islands, Bioko (Fernando Po)

P. n. brachypterus; male
Photo © by scottishdude
The Gambia, March 2010

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

• P. n. brachypterus:

• Senegal to Nigeria and western Cameroon; winters in Bioko

• P. n. nigricollis:

• Eastern Cameroon south to northern Angola and southern Democratic Republic of the Congo, east to extreme southern South Sudan, Uganda, western Kenya, and northwestern Tanzania

• P. n. melanoxanthus:

• Southern Ethiopia to eastern Kenya and eastern Tanzania

Habitat

Open areas with trees, including forest edges and savanna woodland.

P. n. brachypterus; female
Photo © by scottishdude
The Gambia, March 2010

Behaviour

Breeding

It builds a large coarsely woven nest made of grass and creepers with a 15cm downward facing entrance tunnel hanging from the globular egg chamber, suspended from a branch in a tree. Two to three eggs are laid.

Diet

The diet includes insects and vegetable matter.

Vocalisation

Call: wheezing dew-dew-twee.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-necked Weaver. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 21 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-necked_Weaver

External Links

Search for photos of Black-necked Weaver in the gallery