Introduction

The Juba Weaver was collected by Prince Eugenio Ruspoli, an Italian aristocrat (descendent of the famous noble family in Rome) and naturalist.

Ruspoli explored the region between Ethiopia and Somalia during two visits, the first being in 1891. During his second expedition to north-east Africa (1892-1893) he explored the regions around Lake Rudolf. Ruspoli collected only 35 specimens of 32 species (Salvadori 1896). On 4 December 1893 he was killed by an elephant while hunting around Lake Bissan Abbaia (Abaya), north-east of Lake Stefania.

The specimens Ruspoli had collected, including birds, insects, reptiles and mammals, were sent to the Museum of Genoa in Italy, but the specimens were in bad condition and without proper labels. Salvadori recognised 3 new species: Juba Weaver, Salvadori's Serin Serinus xantholaema, and Ruspoli's Turaco Turacus ruspolii. Although the type locality is often given as Somalia, these species would have been collected in present day Ethiopia.

The first illustration of the Juba Weaver was of an adult male, published several decades after first description, by Mackworth (1955). The next illustrations were printed in field guides from 1995 onwards.

Scientific citation

Meaning of names

First English name

Alternate names

Collector

Date collected

Locality collected

Type specimens

The female lacks yellow underparts of the male, has a buff breast and flanks, and brown eye. The female is best separated from the similar female Vitelline Masked Weaver by a 2-tone bill being dark above and light below.

Distribution. The Juba Weaver occurs in Ethiopia, Somalia and extreme NE Kenya but breeding is only known from Ethiopia (see map below, based on Birds of Africa). No races are recognised.

Habitat. The Juba Weaver inhabits riverine bush, short grass savanna, Acacia-Commiphora thornbush, and semi-desert savanna.

Food. The Juba Weaver feeds on seeds, and probably also on insects. It is generally found in pairs and small groups.

Breeding. The Juba Weaver is probably polygynous. It is colonial, nesting in small groups in trees or reeds. The nest is oval, with virtually no entrance tunnel. It is woven from grass, and lined with fine grass. The nest is suspended from the tip of a branch or at side of a reed.

The eggs (clutch 2) are pale greenish-blue or greyish-green, spotted with brown and lilac. Nothing else is known about breeding.