Plocepasser mahali
The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser mahali) is a distinctive, medium-sized passerine, typically measuring 17-19 cm in length and weighing 45-65 grams. Its striking field marks include a prominent white supercilium (eyebrow) contrasting sharply with a black face mask that covers the lores, eye, and ear coverts, giving it a bold appearance. The upperparts are sandy-brown, often streaked, while the underparts are clean white, sometimes with a buff wash on the flanks. A thick, conical bi...
This species primarily inhabits arid and semi-arid savannas, dry acacia woodlands, and thornbush scrub. It typically occurs in low to moderate elevations, thriving in open country with scattered trees.
Its diet consists mainly of insects, particularly grasshoppers, beetles, and ants, supplemented by seeds from grasses and forbs, and occasionally some nectar or small fruits. Foraging is predominantly conducted by gleaning from the ground or low vegetation.
White-browed Sparrow-Weavers are highly social and diurnal birds, living in noisy family groups or colonies that can number up to 10-20 individuals. They typically roost communally in their elaborate nests or in dense thorny thickets for safety. Foraging occurs primarily on the ground, where they...
The White-browed Sparrow-Weaver is widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, inhabiting a broad belt from southern Ethiopia and Somalia, south through Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, extending westwards into parts of Sudan and Angola, and covering much of Southern Africa including Namibia, Botsw...
Least Concern
- White-browed Sparrow-Weavers are renowned cooperative breeders, with groups of up to 10 'helpers' assisting the dominant pair in raising young. - They construct large, messy, retort-shaped nests, often in clusters within a single acacia tree, with some nests used for breeding and others solely ...