Introduction

Rüppell obtained specimens of the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver from 2 sources. Martin Bretzka was a German hunter who collected birds for Rüppell. After earlier travels together, Rüppell sent Bretzka back to Ethiopia in 1835 and Bretzka reached Shoa in 1837, where he presumably collected the first White-headed Buffalo-Weaver specimens. Rüppell probably only received these specimens in 1841, and he labelled them as Textor leucocephalus. Bretzka collected at least 2 specimens, which are now in the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt.

Before describing this species, Rüppell visited the museum of the East India Company in London in 1843, where he saw some more White-headed Buffalo-Weaver specimens. These had been collected by Major Sir William Cornwallis Harris, an English military engineer, artist and hunter. Harris led a British diplomatic mission (1841 to 1843) from Bombay to Sahle Selassie, Negus of Shewa. Harris collected at least 4 specimens of the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver. Harris wrote about his travels in 3 volumes (The highlands of Aethiopia) in which he makes occasional reference to birds, but does not appear to have written about the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver. Harris sent his White-headed Buffalo-Weaver specimens to the East India Company Museum where Thomas Horsfield, curator of the East India Company Museum in London, named the species Textor dinemelli. Horsfield named the species after an unknown collector, Dinemelli, but did not describe the species. The specimens are now in the British Museum.

When Rüppell published his description, he chose Horsfield's name rather than his own more descriptive name (leucocephalus = white headed).

The first illustration of a White-headed Buffalo-Weaver is a colour painting by Joseph Wolf of a specimen collected by Bretzka, published in the book on north-eastern African birds by Rüppell. The second illustration is by William Mitchell, published in the book by Gray on bird genera, and based on the specimens collected by Harris.

Scientific citation

Meaning of names

First English name

Alternate names

Collector

Date collected

Locality collected

Type specimens

The sexes are alike and the species colours of white, black and red are unmistakable in the field. Immature birds have pale orange tail coverts, rather than orange-red tail coverts.

Distribution. The White-headed Buffalo-Weaver occurs in eastern Africa. The map (below) is based on Birds of Africa, but central Ethiopia has been added to the distribution here as indicated by Ash J and Atkins J (2009. Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea. An atlas of distribution).

Two subspecies are recognised:

D. dinemelli dinemelli is found from Sudan to Kenya (yellow on the map) - the upperparts are dark brown.

D. dinemelli boehmi is found in SE Kenya and Tanzania (red on the map) - the upperparts are black.
The map also indicates current PHOWN records.

Habitat. The White-headed Buffalo-Weaver inhabits dry bush and savanna thornveld, including acacia patches in miombo in Tanzania. It is rare in grassland and riverine vegetation. It occurs in parties of 3-6 birds, and regularly joins mixed-species flocks in open woodland.

Food. They forage on the ground and feed mainly on insects but also eat seeds and fruit.

Breeding. The White-headed Buffalo-Weaver is monogamous and may be a co-operative breeder.

There may be a single nest, or several nests which probably belong to a pair. Nests are placed in trees at 2-4 m above the ground. Nests may be placed in trees that have colonies of biting ants, as additional protection from predators.

3-4 eggs are laid, which are greyish white or pale blue, with thick brownish blotches, often forming a cap at the thick end. The incubation period is unrecorded. Chicks are fed by both parents.

The nests may be used by Pygmy Falcons and Cut-throat Finches.