The above is based on Weaver Wednesday 2, a weekly series about the discovery of each weaver species.
This species text first appeared as Weaver Wednesday [189] – Discovery [72]: Maxwell’s Black Weaver on 2016-01-27
1. Basic biology
Identification. Maxwell’s Black Weaver is glossy black in both sexes and the eye is white to greenish-white. The nominate race has white bases to the nape feathers, showing as a pale patch. The juvenile is dark brown above, dull charcoal-grey below, and the eye is brown. It is very similar to Vieillot’s Black Weaver, which has a yellow eye (not greenish white). The juvenile Vieillot’s Black Weaver has a yellow throat and belly, while the juvenile Cassins Malimbe has an orange throat.
Distribution. Maxwell’s Black Weaver occurs from West Africa to central Africa (see map above, based on Birds of Africa). There are three subspecies: P. a. albinucha in Sierra Leone to Ghana (see red on map). The adult has a white nape. P. a. holomelas, in Nigeria across to western Uganda (see green on map). The adult has a black nape, and the juvenile is grey below as is the nominate juvenile. P. a. maxwelli, on Bioko Island (see blue on map). The adult has a black nape, and the immature is washed with yellow below.
Wing length is approximately the same in all 3 subspecies.
Habitat. Maxwell’s Black Weaver inhabits high forest in Cameroon; elsewhere it is found in the vicinity of villages surrounded by secondary forest, often near rivers and creeks. Maxwell’s Black Weaver forms large, noisy roosts in the evening.
Food. Maxwell’s Black Weaver feeds on insects including grasshoppers, small caterpillars, and chrysalises. It also feeds on fruit, berries, and nectar. It hawks insects in the canopy. Maxwell’s Black Weaver forages in mixed-species flocks but single birds may be found high in the canopy.
Breeding. Maxwell’s Black Weaver is probably polygynous. It is colonial, with 20-500 nests in a colony. It may form mixed colonies with other weaver species, like Village Weaver and Vieillot’s Black Weaver. The nest of Maxwell’s Black Weaver is a rough hemisphere with the entrance below and almost no tunnel. The nest is constructed of thin, rough creepers, or is woven from strips of banana leaf. The nest is placed at the tip of a branch or palm frond. The nests are usually high up, in the crown of trees.
A colony of 20 nests in Sierra Leone was directly below the nest of a Crowned Hawk-eagle Stephanoetus coronatus. The eggs are undescribed and nothing else is known about breeding. Young birds are sometimes harvested by villagers.
The above is based on Weaver Wednesday, a weekly series about weaver species.
This species text first appeared as Weaver Wednesday [109]: Maxwell’s Black Weaver on 2014-07-16
2. Breeding facts
Pair bond
probably polygynous
Breeding season
In W Africa, active nests in Feb in Siena Leone, fledglings seen Nov-Dec in Liberia and Ghana, and birds with enlarged gonads in Mar in Cameroon; breeds Feb and Jun-Aug in DRCongo
Nest site
placed at tip of pendulous branch generally high in crown of tree, more than 10 m above ground
Nest building
no information
Colony size
Colonial, with 20-500 nests in colony
Clutch size
no information
Egg colour
no information
Egg size
no information
Incubation
no information
Chicks and nestling period
no information
Breeding information based on Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 15.