On 13 January 2012 Rory McDougall found a dead bird on the Great North Road in Zambia at 9h30. The road kill was an adult male Thick-billed Weaver with ring 4A46849. Rory forwarded the details to Zambian birders and Pete Leonard sent it to SAFRING. Rory wrote: "I was unaware these birds moved so far and wonder where it was ringed? I have found them breeding on Colin Streets farm on a dam on the Kaleya River approx 30kms as the crow flies from where this bird was killed, but I have never known anyone ring this species in the area? I am sure it will be an interesting recovery."

This bird was ringed as an immature on 7 July 2008 by Lizanne Roxburgh on Huntley Farm, 111km from the ring recovery site. As Rory pointed out, this is an interesting recovery, being the second longest movement known for the species. The longest was by an immature with ring 64308136 - it had moved 130 km along the Eastern Cape Coast in South Africa.

Related news items:
To read about the oldest Thick-billed Weaver, see here
To read about range expansion in the Thick-billed Weaver, see here