Ploceus ruweti
The Lufira Masked Weaver (Ploceus ruweti) is a strikingly vibrant passerine, a jewel of the central African wetlands, characterized by strong sexual dimorphism. Males boast a brilliant golden-yellow plumage across their body, sharply contrasted by a definitive black mask extending from the forehead to the throat, and a distinct rufous-chestnut band across the upper breast. Measuring approximately 13-15 cm in length and weighing 18-25 grams, its vivid coloration makes it readily identifiable i...
Restricted to freshwater marshes, papyrus swamps, and dense reedbeds, typically found in lowland wetland systems, often close to water bodies.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on larvae, beetles, and grasshoppers; also consumes a significant amount of seeds from wetland grasses and aquatic plants.
As a diurnal species, the Lufira Masked Weaver is active from dawn to dusk, often foraging busily within the dense reed beds and papyrus swamps where it also roosts communally at night. Foraging involves agile gleaning of insects, such as beetles, larvae, and grasshoppers, from the stems and leav...
The Lufira Masked Weaver is strictly endemic to the Lufira River Valley in the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Its entire known breeding and year-round range is confined to a relatively small area within this valley, primarily encompassing the wetland systems around Lake Upemba Nationa...
Data Deficient
- The Lufira Masked Weaver is a true endemic, found only within a tiny sliver of the world: the Lufira River Valley in the Democratic Republic of Congo. - Males are master architects, meticulously weaving multiple elaborate, globular nests from grass and reed strips during a single breeding seaso...