Black-headed Weaver Ploceus melanocephalus Scientific name definitions

14 cm; male 20·1-25 g and female 17–21·2 g (capitalis), male 21–36·3 g and female 19·9-27·5 g (dimidiatus). Male nominate race breeding has forehead, crown, cheek, chin and throat black, black bib extending to centre of breast; narrow yellow collar on nape; mantle and back greenish-yellow, rump yellow, tail olive-green; upperwing brown, primaries with yellow margins, wing-coverts with broad yellow edges; breast yellow except for black bib (which sometimes has chestnut-brown edges), belly, flanks, thighs and undertail coverts-yellow; iris dark brown; bill black; legs brown. Male non-breeding has forehead, crown and nape dull olive-green, mantle and back brown with broad central streaks on feathers, rump brown with greenish wash, tail olive-green; wings brown, paler edges on remiges and wing-coverts; yellowish supercilium, greenish-yellow cheek and ear-coverts; chin and throat dull white, tinged with yellow, breast buffy grey, flanks and thighs buff, belly and undertail-coverts dull white; bill with black upper mandible, horn-coloured lower mandible. Female is like non-breeding male, but with duller yellow margins on remiges, dull yellow throat. Juvenile resembles female, but with pale buffy underparts, broad buffy margins on wing-coverts, less streaking on mantle and back, bill brown with darker upper mandible; captive-bred males did not acquire breeding plumage in first year. Races differ in breeding plumage of male: capitalis has more chestnut below than nominate, and upperparts more yellow; dimidiatus has rich chestnut underparts, with yellow restricted to belly; duboisi has yellow underparts, lacking any brown wash, also longer and more slender bill.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Introduced in Iberian Peninsula (1 Sanz-Aguilar, A., Anadón, J.D., Edelaar, P., Carrete, M. and Tella, J.L. (2014). Can establishment success be determined through demographic parameters? A case study on five introduced bird species. PLoS ONE 9(10): e110019. Close ).

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SUBSPECIES

Ploceus melanocephalus melanocephalus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Mauritania, N and SW Senegal, Gambia, S Mali and SW Niger.

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SUBSPECIES

Ploceus melanocephalus capitalis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W Guinea-Bissau, E Guinea, Burkina Faso, NE Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria (on major rivers), N Cameroon, SW Chad and N Central African Republic.

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SUBSPECIES

Ploceus melanocephalus duboisi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

E Congo, S Central African Republic, SW South Sudan, N, C and SE DRCongo and N Zambia.

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SUBSPECIES

Ploceus melanocephalus dimidiatus Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE Sudan and W Eritrea S to NE DRCongo, Uganda, SW Kenya and NW Tanzania.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Damp areas with tall grass near rivers or standing water, also reedbeds and papyrus (Cyperus papyrus); may forage in tree savanna in drier areas. Generally below 1500 m.

Apparently resident.

Seeds and insects; young fed largely with insects. Uses prying actions of the bill when foraging. Forms flocks in non-breeding season.

Song a mixture of wheezing, grating and creaking sounds; short form "squeee-ki-kee", used in territorial defence and courtship away from nest. Harsh "chak" in alarm.

Breeds May–Oct in Mauritania, Apr–Nov in Senegal, Jun–Sept in Gambia, Jul–Oct in Mali, Aug–Oct in Burkina Faso (Jul–Aug at Ouagadougou), Jun–Nov in Niger, Aug in Togo, May and Jul–Oct in Nigeria; in DRCongo, Jun–Aug in NE, Nov–Apr in Kimbombo, Jan–May in Itombwe and E region, Aug–Sept in C regions; Aug–Sept in Sudan and Ethiopia, Mar–May and Aug–Sept in Uganda, and Feb–Mar in Zambia. Polygynous, with two or three females in territory simultaneously; sometimes monogamous. Solitary nester, also colonial, nesting alongside P. pelzelni and P. cucullatus, sometimes with P. intermedius or Euplectes orix. When females arrive, male displays by fluttering wings while hanging below nest entrance. Nest globular or onion-shaped, entrance below without tunnel, outer shell tightly woven by male from grass, lined by female with fine grass, sometimes also some feathers, and with distinct ceiling layer of grass strips, slung between vertical stems (supported at one side only) in elephant grass, reeds or papyrus over water, sometimes suspended from pendulous twigs in bush or small tree, even in maize (Zea mays) field, generally more than 2 m above ground or water level; male will repair damage to nest during construction, but not once nest occupied, and female will attempt to block holes with lining material. Clutch 2–3 eggs, dull white, blue-green, pinkish-grey or brown, either plain or heavily freckled with olive-brown, average size of ten eggs 18·9 x 13·8 mm (Nigeria); incubation by female only, but both sexes feed nestlings and fledglings; no information on duration of incubation and nestling periods. Parasitizm by Diederik Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius) recorded.

Not globally threatened. Common over much of range. More or less confined to rivers and similar wetlands. There are introduced, self-sustaining populations in Portugal (2 Catry, P., Costa, H., Elias, G. and Matias, R. (2010). Aves de Portugal. Ornitologia do território continental. Assírio & Alvim. Lisboa. Close ) and Spain (3 Sanz-Aguilar, A., Anadón, J.D., Edelaar, P., Carrete, M. and Tella, J.L. (2014). Can establishment success be determined through demographic parameters? A case study on five introduced bird species. PLOS One. 9(10): e110019. Close ).