Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver ( Bubalornis niger, family: Ploceidae)
The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver (Latin name Bubalornis niger) is described
in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 798 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 1003 also a picture of the Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver on page
1009. The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver belongs to the family of birds
classified as Ploceidae and is also known as the Buffalo Weaver.
The bird is common and seen throughout the Kruger as you can see from the map here ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver is a smallish bird but somewhat larger than a house sparrow. The height of the Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver is about 23 cms and its weight is about 80 gms. Click to enlarge the small photo.
The male and female Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver have the same plumage
and colours
- Head is black.
- Eye is orange.
- Bill is black.
- Throat is black.
- Back is black.
- Legs are black.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver feeds on the ground, and on the wing mainly
Invertebrates
Fruits
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver takes on more than a single mate (it is bigamous).
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver are: woodlands
You will normally see the Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver in flocks and
they have communal nesting areas in larger trees. The nests they build
generally face north or north east away form the prevailing winds. They
can thus act as a type of navigation beacon on cloudy days.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Buffelwewer
German ... Bffelweber
Portuguese ... Tecelo-de-bico-vermelho
French ... Alecto bec rouge
Dutch ... Roodsnavel-Buffelwever
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For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 798
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
