Black-necked Weavers

The Black-necked Weavers (Ploceus nigricollis) occurs naturally in much of tropical Africa from Senegal and northern Angola east to southern Sudan and Tanzania, where it remains year-round. It inhabits forests, especially in wet habitats.

Nesting / Breeding

It builds a large coarsely woven nest made of grass and creepers with a 15cm downward-facing entrance tunnel hanging from the globular egg chamber.

The nest is suspended from a branch in a tree and 2-3 eggs are laid. It nests in pairs but forms small flocks when not breeding.

Weaver Information and Species ListingWeaver Photo Gallery 
Black-necked Weaver

Description

The Black-necked Weavers is a stocky 16cm bird with a strong conical bill.

The adult male of the northern race has olive upperparts and wings, and yellow underparts and head. It has a black eyemask and bib, and a pale yellow iris. The non-breeding male has a yellow head with an olive crown, grey upperparts, and whitish. The wings remain yellow and black.

The adult female also has olive upper parts and wings, yellow underparts, and a head. It has a black eyemask but no bib.

The southern race from Nigeria eastwards has almost black upperparts and tails.

Diet / Feeding

The Black-necked Weaver feeds on insects and vegetable matter.

Calls / Vocalization

Its calls are described as a wheezing dew-dew-twee.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo of author

Gordon Ramel

Gordon is an ecologist with two degrees from Exeter University. He's also a teacher, a poet and the owner of 1,152 books. Oh - and he wrote this website.

We love to hear from our readers. If you have any questions or if you want to get in touch with us, you can find our contact details on our About Us page.

Leave a Comment