Preuss's Weaver
Ploceus preussi
A yellow-and-black weaver with a distinctive golden-chestnut crown and a yellow back that extends to the upper tail. The forehead of the male is golden-chestnut, while that of the female is black. Juvenile has a yellow-olive head and a pale bill. An uncommon resident in primary and secondary forest, often joining mixed-species flocks and clambering along tree trunks like a nuthatch. Often found in pairs. Mostly silent, but a harsh “chwep” call has been recorded. Yellow-capped Weaver is similar to Preuss’s but has a dark lower back and rump and does not creep along branches and trunks; Brown-capped Weaver has a dark crown and prefers the mountains.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Ploceus preussi
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1893)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Ploceus
Range and habitat
It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Mindoro Racquet-tail
Prioniturus mindorensis
A medium-sized parrot of lowland and foothill forest on Mindoro. The two central tail feathers have extended shafts ending in a racket shape. Overall green in color, darker on the back and paler below, with deeper green on the head, a deep blue central crown, and a dark blue hind-crown and edge to the wing. Note the pale bill. Occurs together with Blue-naped Parrot, but is smaller and lacks the thick red bill. Voice includes various squeals and grating calls.
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Small flycatcher with a long tail often held cocked. Has an olive-brown back, yellow underparts, and two white wingbars. Note the broad white eye-ring “spectacles”. Always found near water, for example in shrubby vegetation at lake edges, and especially on river islands. Forages in the understory. Sings an intermittent series of fast high “pit-chew” notes, often in a duet.
Swamp Sparrow
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A medium-sized sparrow with attractive rufous and gray pattern. Slightly smaller than Song Sparrow, with a blurrier look overall (like a watercolor vs. an oil painting). Look for bright reddish-brown wings and relatively plain underparts. Adults are plain grayish below with buffy sides; males have a rufous crown. Immatures often show buffy tones on the face and streaking on the underparts, but never as crisp and extensive as Lincoln’s Sparrow. Breeds in cattail marshes and other wetlands; found in a variety of shrubby habitats during migration and winter, but often in wet areas. Typically not in flocks with other sparrows, and rarely visits feeders. Compare especially with Song and Lincoln’s Sparrows.
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