The orange weaver is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It is sparsely distributed across African tropical rainforest.
Region
West and Central African Rainforest
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily from the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa east through the Congo Basin and adjacent lowland forests. Favors edges of lowland rainforest, gallery forest along rivers, swamp forest, mangroves, and vegetated lakeshores. Often found near slow-moving water where overhanging branches allow safe nesting. It also uses human-altered habitats such as oil palm stands and village wetlands when cover is dense.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The orange weaver is a colonial nester that hangs intricately woven, spherical to oval nests over water or in dense riverside vegetation. Breeding males turn a striking orange to orange‑red and display actively around their nests to attract females. Outside the breeding season, males molt into a duller, more sparrow-like plumage. Its preference for wetlands and forest edges makes it sensitive to local habitat alteration, so it can be patchy even within suitable rainforest zones.
Specimen of P. aurantius subsp. rex in Nairobi National Museum
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Highly colonial; males weave multiple pendant nests, often over water, and court by displaying at the nest entrance. Typically polygynous, with several nests clustered in the same tree or thicket. Nesting material is chiefly grass and palm strips, and colonies can be noisy during the breeding season.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A lively chorus of chatters, buzzes, and thin metallic trills. Males give rapid, scratchy calls while displaying at nests, creating a constant background of sound in colonies.
Plumage
Breeding males are vivid orange to orange-red with a black bill and darker facial area; wings may appear slightly duskier. Females and non-breeding males are brownish-olive above with streaking and buffy underparts, giving a more subdued, sparrow-like look. Plumage is sleek and compact, typical of weavers.
Diet
Eats a mix of grass and sedge seeds, small grains, and a variety of insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and termites. Will also take small arthropods flushed from foliage and occasionally nectar or soft fruits. Diet shifts toward more protein-rich insects during breeding to feed nestlings.
Preferred Environment
Forages in reedbeds, waterside shrubs, forest edges, and mangroves, often moving between canopy and understory. Readily visits rice fields, fallows, and palm groves near water.
