Weyns's Weaver
Ploceus weynsi
A chunky weaver with a long, relatively thin bill. The male is distinctive and beautiful, with black upperparts, rusty sides, and a yellow belly. The much duller female is olive-gray above with a dark breast band. Both sexes have a pale eye. Found in forest, plantations, and marshes, often in flocks. Can range widely when not breeding. The female is similar to female Vieillot's Weaver, but has a slightly slimmer bill and darker breast, and is usually associated with the distinctive male. The vocalizations include typical weaver “chek” notes and “radio static” songs.
Taxonomy
The Weyns's Weaver belongs to the Animalia Kingdom, the Chordata Phylum, the Aves Class, the Passeriformes Order, the Ploceidae Family, and the Ploceus Genus. The species name for the Weyns's Weaver is the Ploceus weysni. This bird is monotypic, meaning that it does not include a subspecies or a smaller, infraspecific taxa.
- Scientific name
- Ploceus weynsi
- Authority
- (Dubois, AJC, 1900)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Ploceus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
In terms of conservation status, the Weyns's Weaver is considered to be a species of least concern. This species can be encountered in reasonable numbers, and is not globally threatened, for they have a stable population trend. This bird is locally common, but its presence is often unpredictable. Their population is predicted to be stable for at least their generational length of 4 years in the absence of any declines of substantial threats.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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