Monk weaver

Monk weaver
	Monk weaver ( Ploceus pelzelni ), female in Uganda
Systematics
Order :	Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination :	Songbirds (passeri)
Family :	Weaver birds (Ploceidae)
Subfamily :	Ploceinae
Genre :	Ploceus
Type :	Monk weaver
Scientific name
	Ploceus pelzelni
	( Hartlaub , 1887)

male

The monk weaver ( Ploceus pelzelni , syn. Loxia pelzelni ) belongs within the family of weaver birds (Ploceidae) to the genus of the bunting weaver (Ploceus).

The Latin species addition refers to August of fur .

The bird is found in East and West Africa in Angola , Benin , Gabon , Kenya , Rwanda and Uganda .

The distribution area includes moist habitats in swamps , areas overgrown with papyrus and large grasses near the water, but also cultivated land and various tree-lined areas between 700 and 1700 m altitude.

features

This very small weaver is 11 cm tall and weighs between 10 and 16 g. The male has a black forehead, the crown of the head reaching just behind the eyes, the ear covers, cheeks, chin and throat are black. It resembles the dwarf weaver ( Ploceus luteolus ), but the beak is black and noticeably long and slender. The iris is brownish. The female is solid yellow on the head and on the underside. Young birds are paler with horn-colored beaks. The spectacle weaver ( Ploceus ocularis ) also has such a long beak, but a pale iris with a distinct black eye stripe.

Geographic variation

The following subspecies are recognized:

P. p. monacha ( Sharpe , 1890) - Sierra Leone and south of the Ivory Coast east to Cameroon , also river banks in Gabon, Angola and northwestern Zambia as well as in the Congo basin
P. p. pelzelni ( Hartlaub , 1887), nominate form - northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Uganda, southwest Kenya, northwest Tanzania , Rwanda and Burundi

voice

The male's singing is described as chattering calls, interrupted by whistling "si-si-si".

Way of life

The diet consists mainly of insects , including caterpillars and ants .

The breeding season is between July and August in Ghana, between June and September in Togo, and May and October in Nigeria. The clutch consists of 2–3 pure white, sometimes pink eggs.

Hazardous situation

The stock is not considered to be at risk ( least concern ).

literature

G. Hartlaub: Sitagra pelzelni in: Zoological yearbook. Vol. 2 Journal for Systematics, Geography and Biology of Animals, 1887, p. 343, plate 14, fig. 9-10 Biodiversity library

Web links

Commons : Monk Weavers - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Videos, photos and sound recordings of Ploceus pelzelni in the Internet Bird Collection
Weaver Watch

Individual evidence

↑ Mönchsweber , in Avibase - The World Bird Database
^ B. Beolens, M. Watkins: Whose Bird ?: Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate , Christopher Helm, London, 2003
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Handbook of the Birds of the World
^ ^A ^b ^c T. Stevenson, J. Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Princeton University Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-691-12665-4 .
↑ Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers
↑ Redlist

[avibase-1] Mönchsweber , in Avibase - The World Bird Database

[2] B. Beolens, M. Watkins: Whose Bird ?: Common Bird Names and the People They Commemorate , Christopher Helm, London, 2003

[HBW-3] Handbook of the Birds of the World

[Stevenson-4] A ^b ^c T. Stevenson, J. Fanshawe: Birds of East Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Princeton University Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-691-12665-4 .

[5] Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers

[6] Redlist