Village Weaver
Ploceus cucullatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyPloceidae (Weavers and Allies)
- GenusPloceus (Typical Weavers)
- SpeciesPloceus cucullatus (Village Weaver)
The village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus), also known as the spotted-backed weaver or black-headed weaver (the latter leading to easy confusion with P. melanocephalus), is a bird species in the family Ploceidae found in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It has also been introduced to Portugal and Venezuela as well as to the islands of Hispaniola, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Mauritius and Réunion. This often abundant species occurs in a wide range of open or semi-open habitats, including woodlands and human habitation, and frequently forms large noisy colonies in towns, villages, and hotel grounds. This weaver builds a large coarsely woven nest made of grass and leaf strips with a downward-facing entrance, which is suspended from a branch in a tree. Two or three eggs are laid. Village weavers are colonial breeders, so many nests may hang from one tree. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a Village Weaver sighting in Gorongosa National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Gorongosa National Park
Lesser Masked-Weaver
Ploceus intermedius
Spectacled Weaver
Ploceus ocularis
Dark-backed Weaver
Ploceus bicolor
Southern Masked Weaver
Ploceus velatus
Southern Brown-throated Weaver
Ploceus xanthopterus
African Golden-Weaver
Ploceus subaureus
Holub's Golden-Weaver
Ploceus xanthops
Red-billed Quelea
Quelea quelea
Black-winged Bishop
Euplectes hordeaceus
Yellow-rumped Widowbird
Euplectes capensis
Red-collared Widowbird
Euplectes ardens
Red-headed Weaver
Anaplectes rubriceps
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Village Weaver in Gorongosa National Park?
About 5% of wildlife watchers report a Village Weaver sighting in Gorongosa National Park, based on 11 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Village Weaver in Gorongosa National Park?
November has the highest sighting rate for Village Weaver in Gorongosa National Park in our monthly data.