Southern Masked Weaver: how to recognise it
A bird of Africa. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Carmelo López Abad · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Ploceus velatus
- Family
- Weavers and Allies
- Size
- About 14 cm
- Habitat
- Reed beds, farmland and gardens near water
- Found in
- Africa
The key marks
Breeding male is yellow with a black face mask that reaches the forehead and a pointed bib on the throat, and a red eye. Cape Weaver is larger with an orange-washed face, no clean mask and a pale eye.
Voice
A hurried, swizzling chatter of chirps and rasping notes.
Good to know
Males weave hanging grass nests, and the female inspects them; a poorly built nest may be rejected.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Cape Weaver. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in reed beds, farmland and gardens near water. It is especially common in South Africa. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.