Malimbus rubricollis
The Red-headed Malimbe (Malimbus rubricollis) is a strikingly beautiful passerine bird, a true jewel of the African rainforests, belonging to the Ploceidae family, commonly known as weavers. Averaging 18-20 cm (7-8 inches) in length and weighing 30-45 grams, this species is easily identified by its glossy black body contrasting dramatically with a vibrant scarlet head and upper breast. Its powerful, pointed black bill further accentuates its distinctive appearance, making it unmistakable with...
Found primarily in the canopy and subcanopy of moist lowland primary and secondary tropical/subtropical forests, as well as forest edges and clearings, typically below 1500 meters elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on caterpillars, beetles, orthopterans, ants, termites, spiders, and snails, supplemented occasionally with small fruits and nectar, gleaned from foliage and bark.
Red-headed Malimbes are diurnal, active during daylight hours, often observed singly or in pairs, but frequently joining mixed-species foraging flocks high in the forest canopy. They are arboreal gleaners, methodically searching foliage and bark for insects, sometimes hanging upside down like tit...
The Red-headed Malimbe is a resident species distributed across a wide belt of tropical Africa, primarily within the Guineo-Congolian forest zone. Its range extends from Sierra Leone and Guinea eastward through Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, continuing into Cameroon, Equ...
Least Concern
- The Red-headed Malimbe is one of the larger species within the Malimbus genus of weavers. - Despite being a weaver, it does not build the large, communal nests characteristic of some other weaver species; instead, it crafts a solitary, intricately woven structure. - Its scientific name, *rubric...