A small, slender weaver with a whitish eye and distinctive slate-colored (not pinkish) legs. The male has a black mask that extends to the peak of the crown in breeding plumage. The female is nondescript but has a distinctive pale eye and white belly. Pairs prefer riverine thicket and wooded savanna, where they breed colonially. In the non-breeding season, they form large flocks that may wander. Most other pale-eyed weavers have pinkish legs and a yellow crown in breeding plumage.