Which weaver from Ethiopia (1 Viewer)

[hans-b]

Location: Ziway / Oromia / Ethiopia, 20.01.2016

Thanks for your help
Hans

www.boeckler.name

 

[RogerioRodrigues]

Maybe a Golden Palm Weaver .

 

[dwatsonbirder]

Maybe a Golden Palm Weaver .

Not in the Rift Valley lakes! Village and Spectacled were common around Ziway when I was there, but this could be vitelline masked weaver in non-breeding plumage. I'd await confirmation from somebody with more extensive experience though.

 

[MacNara]

Ruppell's Weavers were common in Ziway when we were there, and I think that's what this is (female).

 

[Muppit17]

Ruppell's Weavers were common in Ziway when we were there, and I think that's what this is (female).

It is not always easy to tell the weavers in this part of Ethiopia and I am not sure that we can be 100% sure from this single photo.

Ziway has reports of a wide range of species, including Baglafecht, Spectacled and Lesser masked weaver - all of which can immediately be discounted as they have pale eyes and this bird has red/brown eyes.

Therefore of the more likely species there are Village, Southern (or Vitelline) Masked, Little Weaver, and Ruppell's Weaver. They are very similar and I must admit that I cant decide if this is an eclipse male or a female.

Getting a feeling of size with a single photo is difficult. This appears to lack the 'heft' of a Village, but is also too big for Little weaver.

I therefore agree that it is likely to be either a Vitelline of Ruppell's weaver. Ruppell's should have a darker eye and a paler bill than Vitelline, it is also more of a Savannah species that Vitelline. To me, I would sway towards Vitelline, but I have seen both at Lake Ziway and it needs more photos and better notes to say if it was in the reedy lake edge or the thorn-belt that runs down to the shore.

 

[MacNara]

I therefore agree that it is likely to be either a Vitelline of Ruppell's weaver. Ruppell's should have a darker eye and a paler bill than Vitelline, it is also more of a Savannah species that Vitelline. To me, I would sway towards Vitelline, but I have seen both at Lake Ziway and it needs more photos and better notes to say if it was in the reedy lake edge or the thorn-belt that runs down to the shore.

I've looked at the photos that I (with help from BF friends) identified as Ruppell's in Ethiopia (in 2012). Unfortunately the only photos I have of Vitelline are from Tanzania, and only breeding male (so not sure from personal experience what the female looks like). I also looked at photos online of both species - unfortunately online you can never be sure that the ID of females or juveniles are correct when dealing with difficult species which overlap in distribution.

I still think that this is a Ruppell's Weaver, possibly a juvenile male not a female. The iris is darkish, rather than strongly red (female Vitelline should be clearly red, I think). But the pattern around the eye is one feature that stands out for me. Male Ruppell's has a black eyering (see attached photo, and also the books, though it's not shown strongly in the books). Hans-b's photo shows a yellow eyering of the same shape and location, which I suspect
is either a female or juvenile male feature in Ruppell's along with the narrow line back from the centre of the rear of the eye (see the two attached head photos - first my male, then the Hans' bird). This can also be seen in some, but not all, online photos. I don't think this is the case with Vitelline.

But that's as far as I can go.