Eastern Golden Weaver Ploceus subaureus

Identification. The Eastern Golden Weaver is a yellow weaver. The male in breeding plumage has a black bill and red eye (above). The female is duller yellow, has a horn to dark bill, and eye is brown or reddish brown (above). Read more about the variation in eye colour of this species and some other weavers in a pdf here (821 kB).

The Eastern Golden Weaver is also known as the African Golden Weaver or Yellow Weaver. The name has been confused with Holub’s Golden Weaver P. xanthops but the scientific names prevent confusion.

Distribution. The Eastern Golden Weaver is common from Kenya to the Eastern Cape and as far inland as Malawi (see map above), based on Birds of Africa).

Two subspecies are currently recognised:
P. s. subaureus in central and south Mozambique south of Save River and south along the coast to extreme eastern Swaziland and south to the Eastern Cape (see red on map above).
P. s. aureoflavus is found in SE Kenya (south of the Tana River), coastal Tanzania (including Pemba and Zanzibar), eastern Malawi, and northern Mozambique (see blue on map above). The male in breeding plumage for this race has an orange wash on the forehead, crown, sides of head, chin and throat (above), and is smaller than the nominate subspecies.

This species appears to be expanding its range westwards in Swaziland and the Kruger National Park, Mpumulanga, South Africa (see SABAP2 map here. This includes PHOWN records, eg. 1701, near Kruger.

Habitat. The Eastern Golden Weaver inhabits coastal plains, river floodplains and lowland river valleys.

Food. The Eastern Golden Weaver feeds on seeds, including rice and millet, and also nectar and insects, especially termite alates. The young are fed mainly on insects. It forms large foraging flocks when not breeding.

Breeding. The Eastern Golden Weaver is colonial, with small territories, and is probably polygynous. The tightly-woven nest is oval to spherical, with the entrance below. The nest material consists of grass or reed strips.

The nest is lined with soft Eragrostris inflorescences, and rarely with a few feathers. The nest is attached to a single reed stem at the side, or supported by a reed on either side, sited 1-2 m above water, or is situated in trees at a much higher level. The reeds or branches above nests are often stripped of leaves. It may nest alongside other weaver species.

Nests were raided by African Fish Eagles Haliaeetus vocifer in Malawi. The Eastern Golden Weaver is an occasional host of the Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius.

Amazingly, one breeding colony in a wetland attracted a few different frog species as resting inside the weaver nests during the day (see news).

Of 13 birds recovered, 1 had moved 78 km, the others being within 10km of the ringing site. The oldest Eastern Golden Weaver to date was a female recaptured after 8 years 5 months (read more here).

Breeding season
Oct-Feb in Malawi; in Mozmbique, Apr in C region and Sept-Feb in S; Sept-Feb in South Africa

Nest site
1-2 m above ground or water and often attached to a single reed stem on one side, sometimes supported by a reed on each side, or suspended from low bush, but on Zanzibar nests up to 9 m above ground in tall tamarind or coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)

Nest building
no information

Colony size
Colonial; in reedbeds seldom more than 50 nests together, but 150 nests in tamarind tree (Tamarindus) on Zanzibar

Clutch size
2-3 eggs (South Africa)

Egg colour
plain white, creamy or pale blue, or marked with darker spots

Egg size
average size of 53 eggs 23 x 15.1 mm (South Africa)

Incubation
incubation by female, period not recorded

Chicks and nestling period
nestling period 19-22 days in captivity