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Weavers, Widowbirds

The Ploceidae family, comprising small passerine birds known commonly as weavers or weaverbirds, are recognized for their skill in creating elaborate nests woven from vegetation. Introduced by Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1836, this family's taxonomy has been refined by recent molecular studies, which show that the traditional genus Ploceus is polyphyletic. The family consists of 15 genera and 126 species, most of which are native to sub-Saharan Africa, with a few in tropical Asia; some species have been introduced elsewhere. Male weavers are typically brightly colored, especially in red or yellow and black, sometimes changing colors during the breeding season. These birds, which mainly feed on seeds, favor habitats close to water bodies and often build their nests in colonies. The intricacies of their nests, varying in size, shape, and material, showcase their advanced nest-building abilities. For example, sociable weavers construct large communal nests with separate chambers, whereas sparrow weavers live in smaller family groups that practice cooperative breeding. Weaverbirds are usually gregarious and breed colonially, with males weaving intricate nests to attract females. Although they are an interesting study for ornithologists, some species like the red-billed quelea can become agricultural pests, leading to significant crop damage.

Regions

A photo of a Black-headed Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus) , male
Black-headed Weaver
Ploceus melanocephalus
A photo of a Yellow-crowned Bishop (Euplectes afer) , male
Yellow-crowned Bishop
Euplectes afer
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Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.
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Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Species Categories

AccentorsAfrican & New World ParrotsAlbatrossesAnhingas, DartersAuksAustral Storm PetrelsAustralasian WarblersBarn OwlsBearded ReedlingBee-eatersBuntingsBushshrikesBushtitsBustardsButtonquailCaracaras, FalconsCardinals & AlliesCettia Bush Warblers & AlliesChats, Old World FlycatchersCisticolas & AlliesCormorants, ShagsCoursers, PratincolesCranesCrows, JaysCuckoosDippersDucks, Geese, SwansFigbirds, Orioles, TurnagraFinches, EuphoniasFlamingosFrigatebirdsGannets, BoobiesGoldcrests, KingletsGrassbirds & AlliesGrebesGuineafowlGulls, Terns, SkimmersHerons, BitternsIbises, SpoonbillsKingfishersKites, Hawks, EaglesLarksLaughingthrushes & AlliesLeaf Warblers & AlliesLongspurs, Snow BuntingsLoonsMockingbirds, ThrashersNew World QuailNew World SparrowsNew World WarblersNightjarsNorthern Storm PetrelsNuthatchesOld World ParrotsOld World Sparrows, SnowfinchesOropendolas, Orioles, BlackbirdsOspreysOwlsOystercatchersPelicansPenduline TitsPetrels, Shearwaters, Diving PetrelsPheasants & AlliesPigeons, DovesPloversRails, Crakes & CootsReed Warblers & AlliesRollersSandgrouseSandpipers, SnipesShrikesSkuasStarlings, RhabdornisStilts, AvocetsStone-curlews, Thick-kneesStorksSwallows, MartinsSwiftsSylviid BabblersThrushesTits, ChickadeesTreecreepersTropicbirdsTyrant Flycatchers, CalypturaVireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblersWagtails, PipitsWallcreeperWaxbills, Munias & AlliesWaxwingsWeavers, WidowbirdsWoodpeckersWrensYellow-breasted Chat
Birda Blog
What Our Birders Say
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Nedz53
Really useful
Downloaded to give it a try, everything worked perfectly, recorded my first bird watching walk. Very impressed. Have already recommended to friends!
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
Foxgirl100
Great app for beginner twitchers
I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅

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