- Plocepasser mahali
Identification
Length 16-19 cm, mass 40-55 g
- Broad, white eyebrow stripe and white rump
- Bill: black in male; female - horn-coloured; juvenile - pinkish-brown
Distribution
Africa
Western Africa: Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: northern and central Namibia, Botswana, western Zimbabwe, northern South Africa, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Lesotho
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
There are four recognized subspecies:
- P. m. melanorhynchus:
- P. m. ansorgei:
- P. m. pectoralis:
- P. m. mahali:
- Southern Namibia, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe and South Africa
Two additional subspecies, stentor and terricolor are not recognised by all authorities.[2]
Habitat
Dry acacia and mopane woodland, thornveld and dry river courses, acacia savannah.
Behaviour
A noisy, active and gregarious Sparrow-weaver.
Diet
Forage in groups (usually less than 10 individuals) on the ground, mostly near the nest tree. Diet includes insects, seeds, fruit and leaves.
Breeding
Monogamous; colonial and cooperative breeder. They build inverted-U-shaped nests of dry grass. One to three eggs are incubated for about 14 days; The nestling period is about 22 days.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-browed Sparrow-Weaver. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-browed_Sparrow-Weaver
