Thick-billed weaver

Last updated

Thick-billed weaver
Amblyospiza albifrons -Pretoria, South Africa -male-8, crop.jpg
Nominate male in Pretoria, South Africa
Grosbeak weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons woltersi) female Maputo.jpg
Female A. a. woltersi
, Mozambique
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Ploceidae
Genus: Amblyospiza
Sundevall, 1850
Species:
A. albifrons
Binomial name
Amblyospiza albifrons
(Vigors, 1831)
Synonyms
  • Pyrrhula albifronsVigors, 1831

The thick-billed weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons), or grosbeak weaver, is a distinctive and bold species of weaver bird that is native to the Afrotropics. It belongs to the monotypic genus Amblyospiza [2] and subfamily Amblyospizinae. [3]

Contents

They have particularly strong mandibles, which are employed to extricate the seeds in nutlets and drupes, and their songs are comparatively unmusical and harsh. Their colonial nests are readily distinguishable from those of other weavers, due to their form and placement, and the fine strands used in their construction.

They habitually fan and flick their tails.

Taxonomy and systematics

The generic name Amblyospiza was coined by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1850 and means "blunt, finch", referencing the very large bill, while the specific name albifrons refers white forehead of the males. The thick-billed weaver was formally described as Pyrrhula albifrons in 1831 by the Irish zoologist and politician Nicholas Aylward Vigors from the collection of Henry Ellis, the specimens of which were attributed to Algoa Bay and environs in the Eastern Cape. [4]

Subspecies

Ten subspecies are currently recognized: [5]

Distribution and habitat

It has a patchy distribution in West, East and southern Africa, [6] where it is present in marshes, uplands, suburban areas and artificial wetlands.

Thick-billed weavers breed in reedy wetlands and can be found around forest edge outside the breeding season. [4]

Behaviour and ecology

Breeding

Thick-billed weavers are polygynous, in that a single male attempts to attract and mate with several females. A male may attract up to six females, and up to three nests may be active in any male's territory at once. When found at low density there are many apparently monogamous pairs, but they normally nest in small colonies. More than 100 nests have been counted in one South African colony. After mating the female normally will lay a clutch of 3 whitish pink eggs, spotted with red, purple and brown. The incubation of the eggs is carried out solely by the female. This lasts 14 to 16 days and the chicks are fed by regurgitation by the female until they fledge, though occasionally the male may also feed the young. The chicks fledge after about 18 to 20 days in the nest. The nests are vulnerable to predation and recorded nest predators include the white-browed coucal, house crow and the Nile monitor. After the nests have been used by the weavers they may be commandeered by climbing mice, or used for breeding by the orange-breasted waxbill or brown firefinch. [4]

Nests

The thick-billed weaver constructs a distinctive nest which is compact, woven with thin strips of reeds and hung between the upright stems of reeds. It is globe-shaped with the entrance (unlike other weaver nests) near the top and facing to the side. The male weaves the nest with fine material leaving a neat impression, but the weave is in fact not as complex or developed as that of other weaver species. The initial entrance is large, but when a female has chosen the nest the entrance reduced to a narrow opening. Thick-billed weaver colonies may involve a single male, or may contain several males, and is usually established in a reed swamp. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-bellied paradise flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The red-bellied paradise flycatcher, also known as the black-headed paradise flycatcher, is a medium-sized passerine bird of the family of monarch flycatchers. It is native to intra-tropical forests of Africa. The male bird is about 17 cm (7 in) long and has a black head, a mainly chestnut body, and a tail with streamers nearly twice as long as the body. The colouring is somewhat variable across the bird's range. Both females and juveniles lack the tail streamers and are a duller brown colour. It is closely related to the African paradise flycatcher, and the two can hybridise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-fronted canary</span> Species of bird

The yellow-fronted canary is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is sometimes known in aviculture as the green singing finch or the ‘’’green singer’’’.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village weaver</span> Species of bird in the Ploceidae family

The village weaver , also known as the spotted-backed weaver or black-headed weaver, is a species of bird 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-necked weaver</span> Species of bird

The black-necked weaver is a resident breeding bird species in much of central Africa from Cameroon in the west to Kenya and southern Somalia in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed quelea</span> Small, migratory weaver bird native to Sub-Saharan Africa

The red-billed quelea, also known as the red-billed weaver or red-billed dioch, is a small—approximately 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighing 15–26 g (0.53–0.92 oz)—migratory, sparrow-like bird of the weaver family, Ploceidae, native to Sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dickinson's kestrel</span> Species of bird

Dickinson's kestrel is a bird of prey of southern and eastern Africa belonging to the falcon family Falconidae. It is named after John Dickinson, an English physician and missionary who collected the type specimen. It is also known as the white-rumped kestrel. Its closest relatives are the grey kestrel and banded kestrel and the three are sometimes placed in the subgenus Dissodectes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common waxbill</span> Species of bird

The common waxbill, also known as the St Helena waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and now has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It is popular and easy to keep in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The cardinal woodpecker is a widespread and common resident breeder in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, ranging from dense forest to thorn bush. It is fairly vocal and is easily identified by its call notes. The sexes are distinguishable by their head patterns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African firefinch</span> Species of bird

The African firefinch, also called the blue-billed firefinch, is a common species of estrildid finch found in many parts of Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 5,400,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed sparrow-weaver</span> Species of bird

The white-browed sparrow-weaver is a predominantly brown, sparrow-sized bird found throughout central and north-central southern Africa. It is found in groups of two to eleven individuals consisting of one breeding pair and other non-reproductive individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African yellow warbler</span> Species of bird

The African yellow warbler, also known as Natal yellow warbler, dark-capped yellow warbler or yellow flycatcher-warbler, is a species of Acrocephalidae warblers; formerly, these were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little sparrowhawk</span> Species of bird

The little sparrowhawk is a species of Afrotropical bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is the smallest member of the genus Accipiter and forms a superspecies with the red-thighed sparrowhawk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African green pigeon</span> Species of bird

The African green pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae, and one of 5 green pigeon species in the Afrotropics. The species has a wide range in Sub-Saharan Africa with around 17 accepted races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuckoo-finch</span> Species of bird

The cuckoo-finch, also known as the parasitic weaver or cuckoo weaver, is a small passerine bird now placed in the family Viduidae with the indigobirds and whydahs. It occurs in grassland in Africa south of the Sahara. The male is mainly yellow and green while the female is buff with dark streaks. They lay their eggs in the nests of other birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain wagtail</span> Species of bird

The mountain wagtail, also known as the long-tailed wagtail or grey-backed wagtail, is a species of wagtail of the family Motacillidae from sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange weaver</span> Species of bird

The orange weaver is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It is sparsely distributed across African tropical rainforest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compact weaver</span> Species of bird

The compact weaver is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found in the African countries of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African broadbill</span> Species of bird

The African broadbill, also known as the black-capped broadbill or Delacour's broadbill, is a species of bird in the sub-oscine family Calyptomenidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern red bishop</span> Species of bird

The southern red bishop or red bishop is a small passerine bird belonging to the bishop and widowbird genus Euplectes in the weaver family, the Ploceidae. It is common in wetlands and grassland in Africa south of the Equator. North of the Equator, it is replaced by the northern red bishop or orange bishop which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of this species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-winged widowbird</span> Species of bird

The white-winged widowbird is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to Africa south of the Sahara. It is highly sexually dimorphic in its breeding season, during which the male's yellow plumage turns dark and he gains more white feathers, contrasting with the female's predominantly pale coloration. Three subspecies are recognised.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Amblyospiza albifrons". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22719260A131993101. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22719260A131993101.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "ITIS Report: Amblyospiza". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  3. De Silva, Thilina N.; Peterson, A. Townsend; Bates, John M.; Fernando, Sumudu W.; Girard, Matthew G. (April 2017). "Phylogenetic relationships of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae): A first robust phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 109: 21–32. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.013. PMID   28012957. S2CID   205841906.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Thick-billed Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons". Weaver Watch. ADU - UCT. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers". World Bird List Version 8.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  6. "Amblyospiza albifrons (Thick-billed weaver)". Biodiversity Explorer. Iziko Museums. Retrieved 30 March 2016.