Ploceus cucullatus
The Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus) is a striking and highly social passerine renowned for its intricate nest-building prowess and vocal colonies. Adult males in breeding plumage are unmistakable, featuring a black head, face, and bill, contrasting sharply with a chestnut nape and collar, and a brilliant yellow body with a streaked black and yellow back. They measure approximately 15-17 cm (6-7 inches) in length and weigh 30-50g. Females and non-breeding males are much duller, exhibiting ...
Found in a wide variety of open habitats, including savannas, grasslands, open woodlands, agricultural areas, urban parks, and gardens, typically at low to mid-elevations.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on a wide variety of seeds, especially grass seeds and cultivated grains, supplemented with insects (e.g., beetles, caterpillars, ants, termites), nectar, and some fruit.
Village Weavers are highly gregarious and diurnal, forming large, noisy colonies and foraging flocks, especially outside the breeding season. They roost communally in dense vegetation or reedbeds. Foraging is opportunistic, with birds gleaning seeds and insects from vegetation or the ground. Male...
The Village Weaver is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, spanning from Senegal in the west, eastward through the Sahel and Sudan to Eritrea and Ethiopia, and southwards through the Congo Basin to Angola and South Africa. This species is predominantly resident throughout its extensive r...
Least Concern
- Male Village Weavers are master architects, capable of building a complex new nest in as little as 9-11 hours. - A single male can construct 20-30 nests in a breeding season to attract multiple mates. - They often build their colonies over water or in thorny trees, using the natural defenses to...