Preuss's weaver is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae, which is native to the African tropics.
Region
West and Central Africa (Gulf of Guinea to western Congo Basin)
Typical Environment
Occurs from coastal and lowland forests and edges in southern Nigeria and Cameroon through Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko) to Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. It favors moist evergreen forest edges, gallery forest, swamp forest, and mangroves, and adapts well to secondary growth. The species also uses agroforestry landscapes such as cocoa and oil palm plantations, especially where tall trees remain. Nesting is commonly near watercourses or in dense thickets.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Preuss's weaver is a forest-edge weaver of Central Africa known for its intricate, hanging nests woven from grass and palm strips. It often nests in loose colonies near water and in plantations. The species is named after the German naturalist Paul Preuss, who worked in West Africa. Males become noticeably brighter in the breeding season.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Typically nests in loose colonies, with males weaving suspended, retort-shaped nests that hang from palm fronds or thin branches. Pairs form during the breeding season at the nest site, and the species often associates with other weavers and small passerines at feeding areas. Nests are frequently placed over water or in dense vegetation for protection.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A busy mix of chatters, buzzes, and thin twitters delivered from cover near the colony. Males give persistent rattling notes around nests, interspersed with soft, scratchy phrases.
Plumage
Male in breeding plumage is bright golden-yellow on head and underparts with olive-brown back and darker wings; non-breeding male and female are duller olive-brown above with yellowish underparts and faint streaking. Bill is stout and black, typical of weavers. Overall appearance is of a small yellow weaver with olive-toned upperparts.
Diet
Eats small insects and other arthropods gleaned from foliage, along with seeds and soft fruits. During breeding, it often increases insect intake for protein. It forages by gleaning in the canopy and mid-story, and occasionally on the ground at edges and clearings.
Preferred Environment
Feeds along forest edges, in secondary growth, riparian thickets, and in plantations with scattered tall trees. Frequently forages in mixed-species flocks and near nesting colonies.
