Red-headed Weaver Identification Guide

Key Field Marks

• Slim weaver with a distinctly pointed, pinkish-red or coral bill — unlike the stout black or dark bill of most weaver species
• Breeding male: bright red head, throat, and often mantle, contrasting with pale creamy-white to yellowish underparts and blackish wings edged whitish
• Female and non-breeding male: much duller, olive-gray to buffy overall with a paler head, but retain the diagnostic pinkish bill
• Slender build and long-looking tail compared to the chunkier shape of typical Ploceus weavers

Similar Species

• Red-headed Malimbe: also has a red head, but has a heavy black bill and is a forest-interior species of West and Central Africa, not overlapping in habitat with the savanna-dwelling Red-headed Weaver.
• Southern Red Bishop / other bishops: breeding males are red-and-black but stockier, with black (not pink) bills and different, more rounded shapes.
• The pale pink bill on an otherwise weaver-shaped bird is the most reliable mark at any plumage, since red-headed patterns can vary with molt.

Habitat, Range & Season

• Found across sub-Saharan Africa in dry savanna, open woodland, acacia scrub, and cultivated land, generally in pairs rather than large colonies
• Resident and non-migratory across most of its range, though some local movements occur with rainfall patterns
• Builds a distinctive kidney- or oval-shaped woven nest with a side entrance, usually suspended from a thin outer branch

Voice

• Gives typical weaver chattering and wheezy, buzzy notes, though less loud and colonial than many Ploceus weavers since it nests singly or in loose pairs rather than dense colonies