Introduction

Vieillot described the plumage of the White-billed Buffalo-Weaver and listed it from Africa. The type locality was later restricted to Senegal, based on the amount of white in the wing of this species.

This species was already described by Brisson 1760, based on specimens from coastal Africa, in the collection of Madame de Pompadour in 1754. Either Vieillot found these same specimens in the Paris museum and based his description on them, many decades later, or new specimens arrived from Africa.

The first illustration of this species to be published, was by Coenraad Jacob Temminck 1828, based on a specimen in the Paris museum, from Galam in Senegal. Again, there is the possibility that this is the same specimen as that of Brisson 1760, although Temminck provided his own name for the species.

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Type specimens

Identification. The White-billed Buffalo-Weaver Bubalornis albirostris is white-billed. The adult (photo above left) is black, with white feather bases showing through as small patches on the lower back, flanks and sides of breast; a white wing patch is visible in flight. The conical bill is white and swollen in breeding males (photo above right, from specimen 90331 in Leiden), otherwise black. The immature bird is dark brown with white mottling on the underparts. This species also has a phalloid organ (exposed in photo above left, see also Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver).

Distribution. No subspecies of the White-billed Buffalo-Weaver are recognised. In the past it has been regarded as conspecific with the Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver. It occurs from Senegal across the savanna belt to western Ethiopia and Kenya (see map above, based on Birds of Africa). In 2009 it was recorded from Tanzania for the first time, from Naani Hill Gate, Serengeti National Park.

Habitat. The White-billed Buffalo-Weaver inhabits dry savanna. In West Africa, it is found in very open farmland with patches of scrub, along streams and in belts of thorntrees. White-billed Buffalo-Weaver colonies are often in large trees, in or near villages. It is resident at its nesting colonies; when not breeding, birds forage away the nests but return before sunset to roost in the nest.

Food. The White-billed Buffalo-Weaver feeds on seeds, including crops such as millet; also fruit, grasshoppers, termites, beetles and their larvae, and also small amimals such as frogs. They forage on the ground, search for insects in cowpats, and remove ectoparasites like ticks from cattle. Large noisy, feeding flocks may include individuals from several colonies. Chicks are fed on insects.

Breeding. The White-billed Buffalo-Weaver is strongly colonial (eg. photo left). In a 50km transect survey in baobab savanna in Senegal, 31 trees had large colonies and 29 trees had small colonies; while in acacia savanna, 214 nests were counted in 24km.

The nest is a large compound structure, >1 m in diameter, containing up to 10 individual nest chambers. It is made of dry thorn twigs and branches, and lined with grass and green leaves. The nest is sometimes solitary. The nest entrance is sometimes surrounded by long thorny twigs sticking out. It is built mainly by the male and both sexes add lining. Males may steal material from neighbours, triggering raucous calling. Nest building activity often follows rainfall. In Tanzania, nests may be abandoned, then re-used in subsequent years.

Eggs (clutch 2-4) are whitish or pale greenish, heavily marked with grey and grey-brown. The female incubates the eggs and feeds the young.