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 →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Village Weaver sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park, based on 52 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Niokolo-Koba National Park
Black-headed Weaver
Ploceus melanocephalus
Little Weaver
Ploceus luteolus
Vitelline Masked-Weaver
Ploceus vitellinus
Heuglin's Masked-Weaver
Ploceus heuglini
Red-billed Quelea
Quelea quelea
Orange Bishop
Euplectes franciscanus
Red-headed Weaver
Anaplectes rubriceps
Yellow-crowned Bishop
Euplectes afer
Black-winged Bishop
Euplectes hordeaceus
White-billed Buffalo-Weaver
Bubalornis albirostris
Red-headed Quelea
Quelea erythrops
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Lamprotornis caudatus
📅 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 Niokolo-Koba National Park?
About 16% of wildlife watchers report a Village Weaver sighting in Niokolo-Koba National Park, based on 52 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Village Weaver in Niokolo-Koba National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for Village Weaver in Niokolo-Koba National Park in our monthly data.