Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps

Identification. The Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps, a striking weaver bird with bright red head in the breeding plumage of males. In West and East Africa the male has a black mask; one race in East Africa has a red plumage. The female is yellowish or brownish. Both sexes have a distinctive thin pinkish orange bill.
There has been some confusion about the scientific name of this species, which is Anaplectes rubriceps (read more here).

Distribution. This species is one of a handful of weavers that is widespread on the African continent, being found in woodland in West, East, central and southern Africa (see map above, based on Birds of Africa). In northern South Africa it is present at a low density. Many subspecies have been described and 3 are currently recognised.

A. r. leuconotos is found in Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana east to Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan and Ethiopia, also in DRCongo, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania (yellow on map). The male of this race has a black mask around the eye; both sexes have the margins of the remiges, wing-coverts and rectrices red, not yellow.
A. r. jubaensis is found in Somalia and coastal Kenya (green on map). The male is distinctive with the entire plumage red except for a black face, black edges to the scapulars, and blackish wing and tail feathers (broadly edged with red).
A. r. rubriceps is found in Angola, DRCongo, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland (red on map). The male has a red head, breast and upper back and yellow wing and tail edgings.

Habitat. The Red-headed Weaver inhabits broad-leaved woodland, bushveld, miombo and acacia savanna in subtropical to tropical moist regions. It is also found in gardens, especially on farms. Local movements between habitats occur seasonally in Botswana when some of its preferred deciduous habitat becomes inhospitable during the dry season.

Food. The Red-headed Weaver feeds mainly on insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, mantids, Hemiptera bugs, and termites. It also feeds on spiders (e.g. social spiders Stegodyphus), fruit (e.g. mistletoe and figs), seeds, and snails. The young are fed on insects and spiders.

The Red-headed Weaver is usually solitary or in pairs, but also joins mixed bird parties for feeding. It forages mainly in trees, bushes and creepers among foliage, on dry fruit capsules and along branches, often hanging upside down. The foraging height in trees is 7.9 m high on average. It pecks at spider nests to extract spiders; and hawks insects in the air.

Breeding. The Red-headed Weaver is polygynous, and sometimes monogamous. It has a distinctive nest that is constructed of flexible twigs, leaf petioles and tendrils (rather than green grass as in most Ploceus weavers). Several nests may be present at one site, consisting of nests of previous breeding seasons. Sometimes it is colonial, and large colonies have occasionally been reported (see report about largest colony here).

Nests are usually built in trees, including baobabs. This species often builds its nests on man-made structures, including telephone lines and the roof edges of buildings. Old nests are often left hanging and may be used for breeding by other birds, especially Cut-throat Finches. Nests are often associated with raptor nests.

Incubation of the blue eggs is by both sexes, mostly by the female. The young are fed by both adults. The Red-headed Weaver is an occasional host to the Diederik Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius).

Breeding season
Dec-Mar in Ghana and Togo, Nov-May in Nigeria, Feb-Apr, Oct and Dec in Ethiopia, Feb and May-Jul in Uganda, Mar-Jul, Sept-Nov and Jan in Kenya, Feb-May and Sept-Dec in Tanzania, Oct-Dec and Mar-May in Rwanda, Aug-Nov in SE DRCongo and Jan-Feb in NE, Sept-Nov in Angola, Aug-Dec in Zambia, Aug-Jan in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Sept-Feb in Botswana, and Oct-Mar in South Africa

Nest site
sited 1.5-15 m above ground near branch tip and with cover of leaves above, or sometimes attached to verandah or telephone line, or on pylon, or even inside building; nests near homesteads used in successive season

Nest building
Nest built by male

Colony size
Usually colonial, with up to nine nests together, rarely up to 40

Clutch size
2-4 eggs, usually 3

Egg colour
pale blue, often darker at thick end

Egg size
average size of 60 eggs 20.4 x 14 mm (South Africa)

Incubation
incubation mainly or solely by female, period 12-13 days

Chicks and nestling period
chicks fed by both sexes, nestling period 12 days (Malawi), in captivity 17 days