Symes CT, Yoganand KY. 2013. Schotia brachypetala - a nectar cornucopia for birds. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 20(1): 39-44

Summary. Schotia brachypetala flowers in spring and early summer and produces copious nectar that attracts numerous specialist and opportunistic nectar-feeding bird species. Twenty-eight bird species were observed feeding on the nectar of two flowering trees, one in Limpopo province and another in Gauteng province, both in South Africa, during September–October 2011. Together with our observations, a literature search and additional reports from other observers brings the total number of bird species recorded feeding on S. brachypetala to 54 species. This note further emphasises the diversity of generalist or opportunistic nectarivores in southern Africa.

Weaver species listed in the paper as feeding on the nectar of the Weeping Boerbean Schotia brachypetala:

23-26 Sept 2011, Wits Rural Facility, Limpopo province
Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps
Thick-billed Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons
Lesser Masked Weaver Ploceus intermedius
Spectacled Weaver Ploceus ocularis
Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus

27 Sept-18 Oct 2011, University of the Witwatersrand campus, Gauteng province
Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus

Literature references
Cape Weaver Ploceus capensis
Literature references are also provided for some of the above species.

Photos kindly provided by K Yoganand. More photos may be seen in the paper.

Read more about Village Weaver, a key generalist avian pollinator of African plants, here.