Bates MF, Little IT. 2013. Predation on the eggs of ground-nesting birds by Dasypeltis scabra (Linnaeus, 1758) in the moist highland grasslands of South Africa. African Journal of Herpetology online

Abstract. We provide evidence for predation by the Common Egg-eater (Dasypeltis scabra) on the eggs of three species of ground-nesting birds, namely African Pipit (Anthus cinnamomeus), Cape Longclaw (Macronyx capensis) and Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix). Although egg-eaters have been recorded as egg predators of several bird species in the wild - including a few other ground-nesters such as lapwings, francolins, sandgrouse, gulls and terns - we present the first evidence of such predation in the Mesic Highveld Grassland Bioregion of South Africa.

In this paper the authors also review records of predation by the 12 species of Dasypeltis egg-eaters in the wild. The records found for weavers were all by the Common Egg-eater Dasypeltis scabra:

• Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius
• Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea
• Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix
• Red-collared Widowbird Euplectes ardens

Weaver species that have been predated by egg-eaters, but not listed in the above paper, are:

• Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus
• Northern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus castanops
• Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus
• Vieillot's Black Weaver Ploceus nigerrimus