Ploceidae – Weavers, Widowbirds | Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Lesser Masked Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) by Bob-Nan

Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work. (Exodus 35:35 KJV)

CLASS – AVES, Order – PASSERIFORMES, Family – Ploceidae – Weavers, Widowbirds

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Latest I.O.C. Version
Species (117)

White-billed Buffalo Weaver (Bubalornis albirostris)
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver (Bubalornis niger)
White-headed Buffalo Weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli)
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser mahali)
Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser superciliosus)
Donaldson Smith’s Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser donaldsoni)
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser rufoscapulatus)
Rufous-tailed Weaver (Histurgops ruficauda)
Grey-capped Social Weaver (Pseudonigrita arnaudi)
Black-capped Social Weaver (Pseudonigrita cabanisi)
Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius)
Scaly-feathered Weaver (Sporopipes squamifrons)
Speckle-fronted Weaver (Sporopipes frontalis)
Thick-billed Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons)
Baglafecht Weaver (Ploceus baglafecht)
Bannerman’s Weaver (Ploceus bannermani)
Bates’s Weaver (Ploceus batesi)
Black-chinned Weaver (Ploceus nigrimentus)
Bertram’s Weaver (Ploceus bertrandi)
Slender-billed Weaver (Ploceus pelzelni)
Loango Weaver (Ploceus subpersonatus)
Little Weaver (Ploceus luteolus)
Spectacled Weaver (Ploceus ocularis)
Black-necked Weaver (Ploceus nigricollis)
Strange Weaver (Ploceus alienus)
Black-billed Weaver (Ploceus melanogaster)
Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis)
Bocage’s Weaver (Ploceus temporalis)
Eastern Golden Weaver (Ploceus subaureus)
Holub’s Golden Weaver (Ploceus xanthops)
Orange Weaver (Ploceus aurantius)
Heuglin’s Masked Weaver (Ploceus heuglini)
Golden Palm Weaver (Ploceus bojeri)
Taveta Weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps)
Principe Weaver (Ploceus princeps)
Northern Brown-throated Weaver (Ploceus castanops)
Southern Brown-throated Weaver (Ploceus xanthopterus)
Kilombero Weaver (Ploceus burnieri)
Rüppell’s Weaver (Ploceus galbula)
Northern Masked Weaver (Ploceus taeniopterus)
Lesser Masked Weaver (Ploceus intermedius)
Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus)
Katanga Masked Weaver (Ploceus katangae)
Lufira Masked Weaver (Ploceus ruweti)
Tanzanian Masked Weaver (Ploceus reichardi)
Vitelline Masked Weaver (Ploceus vitellinus)
Speke’s Weaver (Ploceus spekei)
Fox’s Weaver (Ploceus spekeoides)
Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)
Giant Weaver (Ploceus grandis)
Vieillot’s Black Weaver (Ploceus nigerrimus)
Weyns’s Weaver (Ploceus weynsi)
Clarke’s Weaver (Ploceus golandi)
Juba Weaver (Ploceus dichrocephalus)
Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
Golden-backed Weaver (Ploceus jacksoni)
Cinnamon Weaver (Ploceus badius)
Chestnut Weaver (Ploceus rubiginosus)
Golden-naped Weaver (Ploceus aureonucha)
Yellow-mantled Weaver (Ploceus tricolor)
Maxwell’s Black Weaver (Ploceus albinucha)
Nelicourvi Weaver (Ploceus nelicourvi)
Sakalava Weaver (Ploceus sakalava)
Asian Golden Weaver (Ploceus hypoxanthus)
Compact Weaver (Ploceus superciliosus)
Black-breasted Weaver (Ploceus benghalensis)
Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar)
Baya Weaver (Ploceus philippinus)
Finn’s Weaver (Ploceus megarhynchus)
Dark-backed Weaver (Ploceus bicolor)
Preuss’s Weaver (Ploceus preussi)
Yellow-capped Weaver (Ploceus dorsomaculatus)
Olive-headed Weaver (Ploceus olivaceiceps)
Usambara Weaver (Ploceus nicolli)
Brown-capped Weaver (Ploceus insignis)
Bar-winged Weaver (Ploceus angolensis)
Sao Tome Weaver (Ploceus sanctithomae)
Yellow-legged Weaver (Ploceus flavipes)
Red-crowned Malimbe (Malimbus coronatus)
Cassin’s Malimbe (Malimbus cassini)
Rachel’s Malimbe (Malimbus racheliae)
Gola Malimbe (Malimbus ballmanni)
Red-vented Malimbe (Malimbus scutatus)
Ibadan Malimbe (Malimbus ibadanensis)
Blue-billed Malimbe (Malimbus nitens)
Red-headed Malimbe (Malimbus rubricollis)
Red-bellied Malimbe (Malimbus erythrogaster)
Crested Malimbe (Malimbus malimbicus)
Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps)
Cardinal Quelea (Quelea cardinalis)
Red-headed Quelea (Quelea erythrops)
Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea)
Red Fody (Foudia madagascariensis)
Comoros Fody (Foudia eminentissima)
Aldabra Fody (Foudia aldabrana)
Forest Fody (Foudia omissa)
Mauritius Fody (Foudia rubra)
Seychelles Fody (Foudia sechellarum)
Rodrigues Fody (Foudia flavicans)
Bob-tailed Weaver (Brachycope anomala)
Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer)
Fire-fronted Bishop (Euplectes diadematus)
Black Bishop (Euplectes gierowii)
Zanzibar Red Bishop (Euplectes nigroventris)
Black-winged Red Bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus)
Southern Red Bishop (Euplectes orix)
Northern Red Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus)
Golden-backed Bishop (Euplectes aureus)
Yellow Bishop (Euplectes capensis)
Fan-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes axillaris)
Yellow-mantled Widowbird (Euplectes macroura)
Marsh Widowbird (Euplectes hartlaubi)
Montane Widowbird (Euplectes psammacromius)
White-winged Widowbird (Euplectes albonotatus)
Red-collared Widowbird (Euplectes ardens)
Long-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes progne)
Jackson’s Widowbird (Euplectes jacksoni)

On the photos or slides, a “by” indicates one of the photographers or videographers, who have given their permission, with links on our sidebar. Please visit their site to see many more fantastic shots, a “©©” copyright symbol indicates a photo from Creative Commons and ©WikiC is a Creative Commons photo from Wikipedia.

Photographers or Videographers used on this page from our sidebar, Photography, are:
Bob & Nan’s Gallery
Dave’s BirdingPix
Ian Montgomery’s Birdway
Nikhil Devasar’s Gallery
Ray’s Wildlife Photography

Back to Family Page – CLICK HERE

Articles Mentioning Birds From This Family:

Red-billed Quelea – Unity Unplugged by a j mithra
Baya Weaver – The Model Church by ajmithra
Birds the Engineers… by ajmithra
Master Builder’s Master Builders by ajmithra
Avian and Attributes – Yoke [Yellow-crowned Bishop]

Other Websites that have photos of this Family:

Ploceidae – Weavers – OBI (Oriental Bird Images)
Weavers (Ploceidae) – IBC
Ploceidae – Wikipedia

The Ploceidae, or weavers, are small passerine birds related to the finches.

These are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills, most of which are from Sub-Saharan Africa, with fewer species in tropical Asia. A few species have been introduced outside their native range.[1] The weaver group is divided into the buffalo, sparrow, typical, and widow weavers. The males of many species are brightly coloured, usually in red or yellow and black, some species show variation in colour only in the breeding season.

Weaver birds, also known as weaver finches, get their name because of their elaborately woven nests (the most elaborate of any birds’), though some are notable for their selective parasitic nesting habits. The nests vary in size, shape, material used, and construction techniques from species to species. Materials used for building nests include fine leaf-fibers, grass, and twigs. Many species weave very fine nests using thin strands of leaf fiber, though some, like the buffalo-weavers, form massive untidy stick nests in their colonies, which may have spherical woven nests within. The sparrow weavers of Africa build apartment-house nests, in which 100 to 300 pairs have separate flask-shaped chambers entered by tubes at the bottom. Most species weave nests that have narrow entrances, facing downward.

Many (but not all) species of weavers are gregarious birds that breed colonially. The birds build their nests together for protection, often several to a branch. Usually the male birds weave the nests and use them as a form of display to lure prospective females. The weaver bird colonies may be found close to water bodies. They sometimes cause crop damage, notably the Red-billed Quelea, reputed to be the world’s most numerous bird. (Wikipedia)

Some of the Family – Photos are Alphabetical down the columns: