-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Weaver Tanzania (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Geert Custers
- Start date
No, yellow eye and grey legs rules this out and makes the most obvious alternative lesser masked, but the lack of any supercilium makes me hesitate and suggest a possible Speke's weaver. (Not certain what happened to the beak!). If that's so, the second bird is a young male moulting through, as they don't have a proper non-breeding plumage. Weavers in photos (and in the field!) are tricky, and others may well disagree (hopefully they will and we'll learn something!). Where were they, and were there any males in plumage around?
Geert Custers
Well-known member
Hi TZ birder,
Sorry I see i didn't mention the location.
Saw these in July in the Ngorongoro crater next to the lake together with the widowbirds of my previous post.
No br. plumage males to be seen.
I had been looking to the legs as well but thought that the grey was a shading effect and that legs where pinkish (maybe because grey leggs would give me a big problem in putting a correct ID on it).
Regards,
Geert
Sorry I see i didn't mention the location.
Saw these in July in the Ngorongoro crater next to the lake together with the widowbirds of my previous post.
No br. plumage males to be seen.
I had been looking to the legs as well but thought that the grey was a shading effect and that legs where pinkish (maybe because grey leggs would give me a big problem in putting a correct ID on it).
Regards,
Geert
Tib78
Well-known member
Speke's for me. The iris is pale indeed, but it also shows quite a distinct reddish tinge (vs Lesser masked which shows a pale but whitish iris), a very good indication for Speke's in my experience. Also, I really get an impression of a 'bigger' weaver especially from the 1st picture.
Geert Custers
Well-known member
Geert Custers
Well-known member
Should I conclude by the lack of further answers that these are indeed speke's weavers? Hoped that the last foto would give a final verdict.
Regards,
Geert
Regards,
Geert
Geert Custers
Well-known member
Thanks TZbirder for the confirmation.
