- Ploceus velatus
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.
Distribution
Southern Africa.
Taxonomy
Six subspecies: velatus, nigrifrons, tahatali, shelleyi, caurinus, and finschi.
Habitat
Shrubland, savanna, grassland, open woodland, inland wetlands, semi-desert areas, suburban gardens and parks.
Behaviour
The diet includes insects, seeds and nectar, and it will come to feeding tables.
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.
