A one day ringing visit to Landela (Cloughside farm), between Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage, resulted in the recapture of Dark-backed Weaver BH34002, a female first ringed by Mike Ford on 11/10/2004 at the farm. It was recaptured on 16/11/2005 during a SAFRING national ringing workshop Landela. BH34002 was caught again, this time with a juvenile, on 06/01/2010 (Thanks to Eugene & Renee Cooney for their hospitality!). The elapsed time was 5 years 3 months, making it the greatest longevity for this species in the wild. The Dark-backed Weaver may be expected to achieve much higher longevities, however, as relatively few have been ringed in Africa to date. It has reached 10 years in captivity.
More longevity records for weavers are given here.