Golden-naped Weaver Ploceus aureonucha
Taxonomic history
Ploceus (Melanopteryx) aureonucha Sassi, 1920, Orn. Monatsber. 28, p.81The Golden-naped Weaver was first described in 1920 by Sassi, based on specimens from Beni-Mawambi und Ukaika, Democratic Republic of Congo. The specimens were collected by Rudolf Grauer in 1910. The first illustration of the Golden-naped Weaver was published in Gyldenstolpe 1924.
Sassi's type description of the Golden-naped Weaver (1920) | 
Gyldenstolpe's illustration of a Golden-naped Weaver (1924) - centre bird |
Identification, ageing and sexing
Identification and sexing: The male is black with a red-brown crown, yellow collar on the nape, maroon breast and white undertail coverts. The female is duller.Where to watch
This species has been recorded in Ituri Forest, DRC, and Semliki NP, Uganda. A list of all sightings is listed below.| Locality | Status | Date | Person | Reference |
| Mawambi, DRC | type specimens NMW 4583 - 85 | 1910 | Rudolf Grauer | Sassi 1920, Wilson et al. 2007 |
| Campi ya Wambutti, Ituri forest, DRC | specimen NRM 601271; also seen | 11 June 1921 | Gyldenstolpe | Gyldenstolpe 1924, Wilson et al. 2007 |
| 8km N of new post of Beni, DRC | 2 specimens; party of 20-25 seen | c5 October 1926 | Chapin | Chapin 1954 |
| Forest nr Udembo, 48km from Irumu on Rd to Beni, DRC | specimens AMNH 26478 - 80 | 30 September 1926 | Chapin | Chapin 1954, Wilson et al. 2007 |
| Epulu, DRC | seen: flock of 60 | 1986 | MC Catsis | Butchart 2007 |
| Ituri Forest, DRC | seen: flock of 22, other sightings | 1986 | J & T Hart, D Lawson | Anon. 1986 |
| Epulu, DRC | seen: pair with young | 1994 | M Languy | Butchart 2007 |
| Okapi Faunal Reserve, DRC | seen | Stephenson & Newby 1997 | ||
| Semliki NP, Kirumia trail, 1st oxbow lake, Uganda | seen: 2, range extended 80km | 1 August 2006 | Wilson Malcolm | Wilson et al. 2007 |
| Semliki NP, Kirumia trail, 1st oxbow lake, Uganda | seen | 16 June 2009 | Herbert Byaruhanga | Africanbirding |
Anon., 1986. Weaver alive and well. World Birdwatch 8(3): 5
Butchart S, 2007. Birds to find: a review of 'lost', obscure and poorly known African bird species. Bull. African Bird Club 14:139-157
Chapin JP, 1954. The birds of the Belgian Congo. Part IV. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 75B:1-846
Gyldenstolpe N, 1924. Zoological results of the Swedish Expedition to Central Africa 1921. Vertebrata I. Birds. Kungl. Svenska Vetensk. Akad. Handl. Ser. 3,1(3):1-326
Sassi M, 1920. Zwei neue Weber aus Mittelafrika. Ornith. Monatsber. 28:81
Stephenson PJ & Newby JE, 1997. Conservation of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Zaire. Oryx 31: 49-58
Wilson M et al, 2007. First record of Golden-naped Weaver
Add your own Golden-naped Weaver colony - see Weaver Watch project, although no breeding records exist yet.