Introduction

Lichtenstein wrote a brief description in Latin for the Vitelline Masked Weaver, and noted its origin as Senegambia. He did not mention the collector, but two type specimens are in the Berlin Museum of Natural History, and the labels list Delbruck, a German collector. Lichtenstein listed 3 specimens, but one was sold to (or exchanged with) the museum in Vienna (Pelzeln 1887). Although Lichtenstein often sold or exchanged duplicate specimens before adequately describing them, he made the Berlin Museum one of the most active ornithological research centres in Europe.

The first illustration of a Vitelline Masked Weaver is a colour painting by Muller 1854 (but I do not have a copy of this). The next illustration is a set of birds painted in colour by Reichenbach (1863).

Scientific citation

Meaning of names

First English name

Alternate names

Collector

Date collected

Locality collected

Type specimens

Identification. The Vitelline Masked Weaver is a common weaver from West to East Africa. It is very similar to the Southern Masked Weaver and has been been considered a subspecies of the latter as the two species do not overlap in range.

The male Vitelline Masked Weaver in breeding plumage has a black mask, bright yellow underparts and a red eye. The bill and mask are smaller than in other masked weavers and the mask is neatly rounded on the throat. The female and non-breeding male are olive above and yellow below, with a reddish eye.

Distribution. The Vitelline Masked Weaver is found from SW Mauritania across the West African savanna belt to Kenya and Tanzania (see map right, based on Birds of Africa).

P. v. uluensis (from Ethiopia south to Tanzania) was recognised until recently but due to considerable individual plumage variation the species is now considered monotypic.

The Vitelline Masked Weaver has been introduced to a bird park near the Yarkon River, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Habitat. The Vitelline Masked Weaver inhabits dry savanna woodland and scrubland in the sahel belt and similar semi-arid regions. It roosts in Acacia trees with other weaver species, and forms nomadic flocks in the non-breeding season.

Food. It feeds on seeds and insects; and it also takes the nectar of Leonotis nepetifolia by biting a flower off at the base, mandibulating it to extract the nectar, and then discarding it. On the ground it moves mainly by hopping and it can move rapidly sideways along a branch.

Breeding. The Vitelline Masked Weaver is polygynous and colonial, but is not found in large colonies. Typically it occurs in small groups of nests with a single male in attendance. Its nest is oval to pear-shaped, with the entrance below and a high lip inside. It is tightly woven, and has a very short entrance tunnel or none at all. The nest has a ceiling made of grass heads of 2-3 different kinds while the floor is lined with softer grass heads.

Nests are suspended from a single central point of attachment; sited 2-5 m above the ground along or near the tip of a pendulous branch; and often far from water. The male removes nearly all the leaves around a nest. In dry country it often nests in trees over a pool in a garden or desert oasis. The nest usually has broad blades wrapped around the nest, giving it a distinctive look.

The egg colours vary widely as is the case with Southern Masked Weaver eggs.

A great sequence of photos of a male building a nest may be seen here.