Male has white bill, female has black. The following genera are currently classified within the family Ploceidae. A few species have been introduced outside their native range.[2]. The southern race found from Nigeria eastwards has a quite different appearance, with almost black upperparts and tail. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf fibers, grass, and twigs. & Keith, S. (2004) The birds of Africa vol. [3][4] These species are not closely related to the sparrows (Passeridae) nor to the Emberizidae, according to Luis Allende and colleagues. Weaver birds (Ploceidae is their scientific name and they are related to finches), are found pretty much everywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. The sociable weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. The male red-billed buffalo-weaver has a red bill and legs with overall black plumage.... more Red-billed Quelea The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. These names come from the nests of intricately woven vegetation created by birds in this family. The adult male is yellow with black throat (edged rusty), face, and bill, and variable black mottling on the back. The breeding male Black-breasted Weaver has bright yellow crown; black upper-breast; rest underparts whitish. [7] The weaverbird colonies may be found close to bodies of water. For more detail, see list of Ploceidae species. Weavers get their name because of their elaborately woven nests. The breeding male Asian Golden Weaver has mainly yellow plumage; black mask. The male Black-necked Weaver of the northern race has olive upperparts, wings; yellow underparts, head; black eye-mask, bib. The Social Weaver has a scallaped back, flanks; black chin. Male has black throat. These two species are quite similar with black bodies, … In most recent classifications, Ploceidae is a clade, which excludes some birds that have historically been placed in the family, such as some of the sparrows, but which includes the monotypic subfamily Amblyospizinae. The two species of black buffalo weavers are large, noisy birds of drier areas of East and southern Africa. Weavers are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which breed in sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia and also in Australia. Red-billed is the most widespread, occurring in both regions, whereas White-billed is only found in East Africa. Many weaver species are gregarious and breed colonially. Male cap is almost white; females is more light gray. Female and nonbreeding male brown upperparts, crown; yellow supercilium; pale underparts with perhaps faint breast-band. These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. In Africa’s Kalahari Desert, sparrow-sized birds called Sociable Weavers create enormous nesting structures that act like avian apartment complexes, housing weaver families by the hundreds. Ploceidae is a family of small passerine birds, many of which are called weavers, weaverbirds, weaver finches and bishops. [1] All birds of the Ploceidae are native to the Old World, most in Africa south of the Sahara, though a few live in tropical areas of Asia. The Gray-capped Social-Weaver has mainly liver-colored plumage; pale gray crown; dark gray bill; whitish eye-ring; some black in the wings. Fry, C.H. They are particularly well-known for their roofed nests, which in some African species form complex, hanging woven chambers. Female has greenish-yellow upperparts; yellowish throat fading to off-white on belly; red-brown eyes..Non-breedinb male resemble female but retains the red eyes. The breeding male Southern Masked-Weaver has yellowish-green upperparts; black face, throat, bill; red eye; bright yellow head, underparts. Breeding male has yellow head and underparts; white eyes. [2] The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. The family Ploceidae was introduced (as Ploceïdes) by the Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1836. These names come from the nests of intricately woven vegetation created by birds in this family. The Cape Weaver has streaked olive-brown upperparts; loing and pointed conical bill. Christopher Helm, London, "An extensive molecular phylogeny of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae) unveils broad nonmonophyly of traditional genera and new relationships", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ploceidae&oldid=980613231, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 September 2020, at 13:35. Although weavers are named for their elaborately woven nests, some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits instead. Female and non breeding male darl brown streaked fluvous buff upperparts; unstreaked fulvous white underparts; horn colored bill. The Black-billed Weaver has mainly black plumage; black bill; yellow head. Female has olive-yellow head, breast; yellow lower-belly, brown eyes. The red-billed buffalo-weaver is the largest weaver in South Africa, at 23 cm. [7], Communal Philetairus nests in central Namibia, Pseudonigrita nest in Kenya, with entrance below, Black-breasted weaver nest suspended from grass, India, A baya weaver on his unfinished nest, northern India, Nests of a baya weaver colony suspended from a palm tree, India, Male Quelea at nest concealed in thorny Senegalia shrub, Red bishop constructing a nest in reeds, South Africa, Nests of a colony of Sakalava weavers, Madagascar, Spherical village weaver nests suspended from a palm tree, West Africa, A southern masked weaver building his nest, Namibia. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward. Weaver, also called weaverbird, any of a number of small finchlike birds of the Old World, or any of several related birds that are noted for their nest-building techniques using grass stems and other plant fibres. The family is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers. Sociable weaver on his nest, Kgalagadi, South Africa. 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