Cape Weaver
Ploceus capensis
The Cape Weaver (Ploceus capensis) is a common weaver found in 10 countries, weighing about 44 g. The Cape weaver is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae, found in southern Africa.
About the Cape Weaver
The Cape weaver is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae, found in southern Africa.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Cape weaver is a stocky 17 cm long bird with streaked olive-brown upperparts and a long pointed conical bill. The breeding male has a yellow head and underparts, an orange face, and a white iris. The adult female has an olive-yellow head and breast, shading to pale yellow on the lower belly. The female's eyes are brown, but 19% have pale eyes in summer and thus eye colour alone cannot be used to determine the sex. Young birds are similar to the female. Voice: The song of the Cape weaver is a harsh, rather hysterical sizzle. The alarm call is a sharp double chip and the contact call is a harsh "azwit".
Where it lives
When to see it
The Cape Weaver can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Cape Weaver?
- The Cape weaver is a stocky 17 cm long bird with streaked olive-brown upperparts and a long pointed conical bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Cape Weaver?
- The Cape Weaver is a small sized bird weighing about 44 g.
- Where can you see a Cape Weaver?
- The Cape Weaver occurs in 10 countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Nigeria.
- What birds look similar to a Cape Weaver?
- The Cape Weaver is most easily confused with the Village Weaver, the Village Weaver and the Baya Weaver.
- Is the Cape Weaver endangered?
- The Cape Weaver is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Cape Weaver for real
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