Taveta Golden-Weaver
Ploceus castaneiceps
Breeding male is rich yellow with darker orange patches on the breast and the rear part of the crown. The female is dark on the back and buffy yellowish below with a pale base to the bill. Both sexes show a dark eye. Breeds in and around reedbeds, but ranges into surrounding savanna and woodland. Very similar to Golden Palm Weaver, but there is no overlap in range. Also similar to Holub’s and African Golden-Weavers, but usually separated by the black eyes. Females can be confusing, but almost always associate with the more distinctive males. The calls include a dry rattling that is combined with typical weaver “radio static” in the song.
Identification
The male Taveta weaver is a vibrant golden yellow color; this color is duller on its back. The wings and tail are a greener color, whereas brown spots are located on the chest. The back of the head is red, and the bill, or beak, is black. The female is an olive color with paler streaks. In general, the Taveta weaver is a small bird, around the size of the finch and closely related to the sparrow.<p>Even though they are considered songbirds, the sounds that the bird makes is not pleasing to past human observers. Weavers often make a unique—often described[by whom?] as "weird"—noise to communicate.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ploceus castaneiceps
- Authority
- (Sharpe, 1890)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Ploceus
Range and habitat
This bird can be found on the Savannah in coastal East Africa from eastern Tanzania to south-eastern Kenya. It prefers to live in bulrushes, woodland, and swampy areas. Some sightings of this bird have also been recorded in Asia.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
These birds live in large groups, or colonies.<p>Male weavers build extravagant oval nests over water attached to stems of reeds or grasses. The Taveta weavers lay two or three glossy, dark, olive-green eggs. The female bird chooses who she will mate, depending on how impressed she is with a male's skill to construct a nest.<p>The Taveta weaver eats mostly seeds, though they have been seen to feed from small insects. The offspring receive food from the mother. This bird also feeds on corn and grasses.<p>The Taveta weaver has strong claws and bills which enable the bird to weave complex nests. Nests can sometimes fill an entire tree; the weaver usually breeds within the colonies.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Barred Antthrush
Chamaeza mollissima
Compact brown bird with a stubby black bill. Warm reddish brown with heavy black-and-white barring on the undersides, face, and eyebrow. Walks around the ground in dense montane forest with a springy gait, bobbing its tail up and down with each slow step. Exceptionally timid bird heard far more often than seen; listen for its long hooting song, an accelerating series of low toots.
Common Myna
Acridotheres tristis
A large, black-and-brown myna with white wing patches, yellow bill, and yellow legs. Gregarious and often found in noisy flocks. Aggressive, often driving away other birds. Can be found just about anywhere but the densest forests. Native to southern Asia, where it is among the most common species. Widely introduced elsewhere in the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
Pine Bunting
Emberiza leucocephalos
A large brown bunting of open environments, from forest edges and clearings to hillsides and agricultural land. Breeding male is very handsome, warm brown overall with a bright white cheek patch and crown; listen for his buzzy song in the summer. Breeding female has largely white underparts and a dirtier white ear with a gray cast on her back. Wintering adults are darker and streakier, but retain the head patterning. Immature birds can be confusing, as they lack the large white cheek patch, and may be confused with Rustic Bunting; look out for a weaker crest, faint streaking on the belly, and a gray ear patch with a white dot near the end. Hybridizes frequently with Yellowhammer where ranges overlap, and nonbreeding adults can look very similar; note absence of any yellow tones. Often gathers in flocks outside of the breeding season, sometimes with other species.
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