White-billed Buffaloo-Weaver
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| White-billed Buffaloo-weaver | ||||||||||||||
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| Bubalornis albirostris (Vieillot, 1817) |
The White-billed Buffaloo-weaver (Bubalornis albirostris) is a resident breeding bird species in most of Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
This common weaver occurs in open country, especially cultivation and scrub. It is a communal breeder, building massive untidy stick nests in the tree colonies, each of which may have several spherical woven nests within. 2-4 eggs are laid.
The White-billed Buffaloo-weaver is a large and stocky 23-24cm bird. The adult is mainly black with white flecking on the back and wings. The conical bill is very thick, and appers more so because it is surmounted by a white frontal head shield. The bill is white in breeding males.
The adult female and non-breeding male are similar, but the bill is black. Young birds are dark brown in plumage.
The White-billed Buffaloo-weaver is a gregarious species which feeds on grain and insects. This is a noisy bird, especially at the colonies, with a range of cackles and squeaks.
Reference
- Birds of The Gambia by Barlow, Wacher and Disley, ISBN 1-873403-32-1