Black-headed weaver

The black-headed weaver was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia melanocephala. He specified the type locality as Guinea.{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=175 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | location=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727082 }}{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Greenway | editor2-first=James C. Jr | year=1962 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=15 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=48 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14485421 }} Linnaeus based his account on the "Gamboa Groasbeak" that had been described and illustrated in 1750 by the English naturalist Eleazar Albin in his book A Natural History of Birds. Albin had sketched a live specimen belonging to the Duke of Chandos at his country house, Cannons, which was located about {{cvt|11|mi}} northwest of London near Edgware.{{ cite book | last1=Albin | first1=Eleazar | author1-link=Eleazar Albin | last2=Derham | first2=William | author2-link=William Derham | year=1738 | title=A Natural History of Birds : Illustrated with a Hundred and One Copper Plates, Curiously Engraven from the Life | volume=3 | page=58, Plate 62 | location=London | publisher=Printed for the author and sold by William Innys | url= https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41131084 }} The specific epithet melanocephalus, melanocephala combines the Ancient Greek μελας/melas, μελανος/melanos meaning "black" with -κεφαλος/-kephalos meaning "-headed".{{ cite web | last=Jobling | first=James A. | title=melanocephalus | work=The Key to Scientific Names | url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/key-to-scientific-names/search?q=melanocephalus | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | access-date=21 February 2025 }} The black-headed weaver is now one of 67 species placed in the genus Ploceus that was introduced in 1816 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier.{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=August 2024 | title=Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/weavers/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=21 February 2025 }}

Five subspecies are recognised:

• P. m. melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758) – Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Mali and Niger
• P. m. capitalis (Latham, 1790) – Guinea Bissau to Nigeria, north Cameroon, southwest Chad and north Central African Republic
• P. m. duboisi Hartlaub, 1886 – east Congo, south Central African Republic and southwest Sudan to north Zambia
• P. m. dimidiatus (Salvadori & Antinori, 1873) – northeast Sudan and west Eritrea
• P. m. fischeri Reichenow, 1887 – east DR Congo, Uganda, west Kenya, northwest Tanzania and north Zambia

P. victoriae Ash, 1986 is now thought to be a hybrid between P. melanocephalus and P. castanops.

Breeding males have a black head and yellow nuchal collar, which is absent in the Juba and golden-backed weavers. It also differs from the latter species and village weaver by its plain, greenish mantle plumage. The pale yellow underpart plumage is suffused with a variable amount of chestnut.

The female and non-breeding male lack the black head, and resemble a female masked weaver, except that they have dark eyes and a darker bill. Their buffy breast plumage also distinguishes them from non-breeding golden-backed weavers.{{cite book |last1=Sinclair |first1=Ian|last2=Ryan |first2=Peter |title=Birds of Africa south of the Sahara |date=2010 |publisher=Struik Nature |location=Cape Town |isbn=9781770076235 |page=676 |edition=2nd}}

It is found in West, Central, and East Africa, but it has also been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula.{{cite web|url=https://birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/cadiz-birding-blog/aliens-amongst-us |title=Aliens amongst us .... |author=John Cantelo |work=Cadiz Birding Blog}} It is found in savanna and similar habitats, typically near water. It often lives on an Acacia tree 3 meter away from land to prevent predation.{{Failed verification|date=December 2023}}

File:002 Black-headed weaver building its nest at Kibale forest National Park Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|Building nest at Kibale forest National Park

File:074 Black-headed weaver gathering nest material at Kibale forest National Park Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg|Black-headed weaver gathering nest material

File:Black-headed Weaver - Uganda MG 1449 (22432106578).jpg|Male displaying in papyrus marsh

File:Yellow backed weaver1.jpg|Male bird in Queen Elizabeth N.P., Uganda

File:Ploceus melanocephalus MHNT 228 RdN Sénégal.jpg|Clutch of eggs from Senegal (MHNT)

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black-headed weaver

Category:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa

black-headed weaver

black-headed weaver

Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

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