Ploceus melanogaster
The Black-billed Weaver, *Ploceus melanogaster*, is a strikingly marked passerine bird endemic to the forests of Central Africa. Males are instantly recognizable by their glossy, entirely black head (including the stout bill), which contrasts vividly with a rich yellow nape, mantle, and underparts, set against a black back and wings. Females, by comparison, are much duller, exhibiting olive-green upperparts and pale yellow, often unstreaked, underparts. Both sexes measure approximately 13-15 ...
Inhabits humid tropical and subtropical lowland to submontane forests, typically found at forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth, often near water bodies.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on caterpillars, beetles, ants, and grasshoppers gleaned from foliage. They also supplement their diet with some seeds and small fruits.
Black-billed Weavers are diurnal and generally social, often forming small family groups or joining mixed-species foraging flocks outside the breeding season, though they roost communally in dense vegetation. Foraging involves actively gleaning insects from foliage, moving agilely through the for...
The Black-billed Weaver is a resident species found across a broad band of Central Africa, with no significant migratory movements. The nominate subspecies, *Ploceus melanogaster melanogaster*, is distributed from southeastern Nigeria east through Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Republ...
Least Concern
- The male Black-billed Weaver's entire head, including its stout bill, is a striking glossy black, contrasting sharply with its vibrant yellow body. - Unlike many weavers which often build large, colonial nests, the Black-billed Weaver typically nests solitarily or in small, loose groups. - Male...