Ploceus nigrimentus
The Black-chinned Weaver (Ploceus nigrimentus) is a striking passerine bird of the family Ploceidae, renowned for its intricate nest-building. Males are particularly vibrant, showcasing a brilliant yellow body, an unmistakable black chin, throat, and lores, with an olive-yellow back and rump, and dark wings and tail. Females are generally duller, presenting a more muted greenish-yellow overall with less distinct facial markings, highlighting a clear sexual dimorphism. This species typically m...
This species primarily inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, forest edges, clearings, and gallery forests, typically at low to mid-elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on caterpillars, beetles, ants, and other invertebrates gleaned from foliage, supplemented with seeds and occasionally nectar or small fruits.
Black-chinned Weavers are diurnal and highly active, often foraging in the canopy and mid-story, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks. They exhibit a colonial or semi-colonial breeding strategy, with males constructing multiple elaborate, spherical, finely woven nests, suspended from branches o...
The Black-chinned Weaver is native to the central African rainforest belt, with a broad distribution spanning from southeastern Nigeria and southwestern Cameroon, eastward through the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko Island), Congo, and into the Democratic Repub...
Least Concern
- The Black-chinned Weaver is a 'true weaver,' belonging to a genus (Ploceus) known for some of the most intricate and sophisticated nests in the bird kingdom. - Male Black-chinned Weavers can construct multiple nests during a single breeding season to attract different females, showcasing their ...