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 Ruaha National Park, based on 21 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Ruaha National Park
Lesser Masked-Weaver
Ploceus intermedius
Black-necked Weaver
Ploceus nigricollis
Golden-backed Weaver
Ploceus jacksoni
Vitelline Masked-Weaver
Ploceus vitellinus
Spectacled Weaver
Ploceus ocularis
Holub's Golden-Weaver
Ploceus xanthops
African Golden-Weaver
Ploceus subaureus
Chestnut Weaver
Ploceus rubiginosus
Dark-backed Weaver
Ploceus bicolor
Speckle-fronted Weaver
Sporopipes frontalis
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver
Dinemellia dinemelli
Red-billed Quelea
Quelea quelea
📅 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 Ruaha National Park?
About 8% of wildlife watchers report a Village Weaver sighting in Ruaha National Park, based on 21 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Village Weaver in Ruaha National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Village Weaver in Ruaha National Park in our monthly data.