Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls in July (1 Viewer)

Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls in July - female Lesser Masked Weaver?

I photographed this bird in July. Like several I shot, ID probably should be easy but after a while the new varieties become a bit overwhelming.

Was watering in a small man-made pond.

My guess? Female Southern Masked Weaver?

Would appreciate any input/feedback.

Thanks/regards,

Mason
Seattle

I'm not particularly good at these, but I wonder if this could be juvenile Lesser Masked Weaver - which has a brown eye, not the white of the adult. I think it's too pale overall for Southern Masked. Juvenile Golden Weaver also has a brown eye and the lower belly is white, but I think the upper back is less streaked than your bird. But, to repeat, not an expert on these things (or other things, for that matter, but better than for these).

Lesser Masked Weaver leg color vs. Southern

Thanks for the suggestion re: Lesser Masked Weaver. I did some searching and found some decent photos of females to compare. The leg color might be a decent reason to support Lesser although color varies a lot depending on lighting. The photos I found of Southern shows clearly pink legs vs. gray for Lesser which seems to be the case for the photo I took.

Does anyone else have Weaver expertise to confirm or further illuminate?

Thanks again,

Mason
Seattle