First pic of Yellow-backed Weaver, from Albin 1738
Duke of Chandos, owner of the Yellow-backed Weaver type, from wikipedia
Yellow-backed Weaver distribution, type locality circled
Introduction
Linnaeus based this species description on the publication of Eleazar Albin. Albin based his illustration and text of this species on birds in the aviary of Grace the Duke of Chandos, James Brydges.
Albin, an English naturalist and water-colour illustrator, included a short text and copper plate engraving illustrations in his book "A natural history of birds", and Vol 3 contained the Yellow-backed Weaver. Albin called the bird Gamboa Groasbeak.
Linnaeus listed the type locality as Gvinea, based on Albin's locality of Gamboa on the coast of Guinea. There is a Gamboa in Angola, but Albin's locality probably refers to Gambia rather than Guinea.
Before 1735, when Albin painted the bird (date on painting: 9 Sept 1735).
Locality collected
Probably Gambia.
Type specimens
No type specimens known to survive, but the painting of Albin serves as a type.
All news items relating to this species
The headers below refer to Weaver News items featuring this species. Click on a header to see the News item, which includes the full news item. (The number in brackets is the date that the news item appeared on Weaver Watch).