From Opus

Ploceus velatus

Photo by Max Holdt
Photo taken: Windhoek, Namibia

[edit] Identification

Length: 11-15 cm, mass 29-45 g. Males larger than females.

Breeding male: Black face, throat and beak, red eye, bright yellow head and underparts, plain yellowish-green back, short, strong, conical bill and pink brown legs.

Adult female and non-breeding male: Pink-brown bill (not grey contra one field guide), brown or red-brown eye. Upper parts yellow-olive, streaked darker on the upper back, yellow throat fading to off-white on the belly. The non-breeding male resembles the female but retains the red eye.

Juvenile: Similar to the female.

[edit] Distribution

Southern Africa.

[edit] Taxonomy

Six subspecies: velatus, nigrifrons, tahatali, shelleyi, caurinus, and finschi.

[edit] Habitat

Shrubland, savanna, grassland, open woodland, inland wetlands, semi-desert areas, suburban gardens and parks.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes insects, seeds and nectar, and it will come to feeding tables.

[edit] Breeding

These birds nest singly or in small colonies, mainly from September to January. The males have several female partners, and build a succession of nests, usually about 25 each season. The nests are woven from reed, palm or grass and built in a tree or in reeds. A female lines a selected nest with soft grass and feathers. One to six eggs are incubated for 12-14 days by the female. Parasitised by Dideric Cuckoo.

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