Black-headed Weaver
Ploceus melanocephalus
Medium-sized weaver. Breeding males are striking with a black face and neck and a dark brown iris that contrasts with its yellow body. Female and nonbreeding male similar with a yellow breast and white belly. Usually found in marshy areas with tall grass. Builds a basket nest, woven together with grass and sticks that hangs from trees. Territorial males give a squeaking, wheezing song. Native to central, western, and northwestern Africa; introduced to the Iberian Peninsula.
Identification
Breeding males have a black head and yellow nuchal collar, which is absent in the Juba and golden-backed weavers. It also differs from the latter species and village weaver by its plain, greenish mantle plumage. The pale yellow underpart plumage is suffused with a variable amount of chestnut.<p>The female and non-breeding male lack the black head, and resemble a female masked weaver, except that they have dark eyes and a darker bill. Their buffy breast plumage also distinguishes them from non-breeding golden-backed weavers.
Taxonomy
P. victoriae Ash, 1986 is now thought to be a hybrid between P. melanocephalus and P. castanops.
- Scientific name
- Ploceus melanocephalus
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Ploceus
Range and habitat
It occurs in West, Central, and East Africa, but it has also been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula. It is found in savanna and similar habitats, typically near water. It often lives on an Acacia tree 3 meter away from land to prevent predation.[failed verification]
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Puna Snipe
Gallinago andina
Small, cryptic brown sandpiper found locally in the high Andes. Favors bogs, wetlands, and lakeshores with rushes and other cover. Range does not overlap with other species of snipe, so identification is usually by default. Mainly found as singles or small loose groups, and rarely seen until flushed from close range. Note very long bill, cryptic striped upperparts, striped face, and yellowish legs. Flushes suddenly with raspy calls and flies quickly away, sometimes in rather bounding flight.
Scaled Antpitta
Grallaria guatimalensis
A plump ball on sticks. Uncommon and elusive on forest floor in humid evergreen forest of tropical lowlands and foothills; also in humid pine-oak and fir forest of mountains in central Mexico. Moves quickly and stealthily on long legs. May be seen feeding or hopping along quiet trails and roads. Flushes with a whir of wings without calling. Note obvious pale mustache and pale rusty underparts; dark scaly markings on upperparts often hard to see.
White-winged Cliff-Chat
Monticola semirufus
An attractive and distinctive chat of the Abyssinian highlands. Both sexes have dark upperparts and a large white patch in the middle of the wing. Males have a clean black hood and a red-orange belly, while females appear entirely dark save for the white wing patch, though close inspection reveals fine barring on the belly and rufous tones near the vent. Similar to Mocking Cliff-Chat, but easily separated by the white patch in the middle of the wing, rather than on the shoulder. The pretty, thrush-like song consists of low whistles and burry notes in short phrases.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.