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  Profile

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  In flight

Songbirds

Southern Masked Weaver

Ploceus velatus

• uncommon
• 38 km/h
• Least Concern

Males build up to 25 nests per season, each judged by the female. Rejection rate is high. Commitment is higher.

Population

Not quantified; BirdLife/IUCN describe it as generally common and widespread with a stable population trend

Habitat

Savanna, shrubland, grassland, open woodland, semi-desert, dry subtropical/tropical forest edge, agricultural land (plantations, pastureland, arable land), riparian vegetation near permanent rivers/wetlands, and urban/suburban gardens and parks

Fun fact

Breeding males build roughly 25 nests per season while attracting multiple mates (polygyny), and females inspect a candidate nest's structural soundness by tugging on the weaving before accepting it.

Range

Southern Africa: resident year-round across Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Guinea-Bissau; extent of occurrence approximately 5,670,000 km²

Diet

Seeds and grain, insects, and nectar; readily visits garden feeding tables

Size

0.14 m

Lifespan

10 years