Ruwet-Weber

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Ruwet-Weber
Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Family : Weaver birds (Ploceidae)
Subfamily : Ploceinae
Genre : Ploceus
Type : Ruwet-Weber
Scientific name
Ploceus ruweti
Benson & Louette , 1982

The ruwet weaver ( Ploceus ruweti ) is a little researched bird species from the family of weaver birds (Ploceidae). The species epithet honors the Belgian ornithologist Jean-Claude Ruwet , who discovered this species in 1960.

features

The brood plumage of the adult male is orange-chestnut colored on the underside. The black color on the head does not reach the neck. The back is deep yellow. The under tail-coverts are washed out reddish brown. The iris is dark red. The beak is black and the legs are gray-beige. Males that are not in the breeding condition have a greenish skull and a yellow throat. The females are generally greenish in color. They show no black coloring and almost no reddish brown coloring in the plumage. On the middle wing-coverts there is a noticeable upper wing band and on the large wing-coverts an inconspicuous lower wing band can be seen. The eyes are dark and the beak is gray. The height is 13 centimeters and the weight 17 grams. The wing length (measured from the wing bow) is 68.5 to 71 mm, the tail length 45 mm, the barrel length 20.5 to 21.0 mm and the ridge length 16 mm. (These body measurements refer to the holotype from 1960 and to a dead bird from 2009).

Occurrence and habitat

The Ruwet weaver is endemic to Lake Tshangalele (also known as Lake Lufira) in the Haut-Katanga Province in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo . It inhabits marshland and reed beds, which are dominated by the genera Phragmites and Typha .

Way of life

The breeding season is during the rainy season between January and April. The clutch consists of two eggs with a light green basic color and many brown spots. The colony size varies between three and 20 nests. The male weaves the nest and defends it against other males who steal nesting material.

Systematics and status

The Ruwet-Weber was known only from the holotype from 1960 for a long time before it was rediscovered in February 2009. The IUCN classifies the species in the category of insufficient data (data deficient). At times the Ruwet weaver was viewed as a subspecies of the Reichard weaver ( Ploceus reichardi ).

literature

  • Constantine Walter Benson & Michel Louette (1982): Swamp-dwelling weavers of the Ploceus velatus / vitellinus complex, with the description of a new species. In: Bulletin fo the British Ornithological Club. Number 102: S. 24-31.
  • Michel Louette & Michel Hasson: Rediscovery of the Lake Lufira Weaver Ploceus ruweti In: Bulletin of African Bird Club. Vol 16 No 2 (2009): pp. 168-173 PDF-Online .

Web links