Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver

Bubalornis niger

Other Pics: Immature Red-billed Buffalo Weaver

Other Names

  Southern Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver   Alecto à bec rouge, Tisserin à bec rouge   Büffelweber     Rödnäbbad buffelvävare     Tessitore di bufalo

World: Africa has 2 populations, one in the E and NE from E Tanzania northwards through Kenya to Somalia, Ethiopia and southern Sudan. The second population occurs in the southern part of the continent from Angola and Zambia southwards through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Kenya: Occurs mainly E of the Rift Valley avoiding the higher rainfall areas.

Very similar in habit and appearance to the White-billed Buffalo-Weaver. The female and juvenile birds are quite distinctive being brown above and spotted or streaked below. The Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver builds massive thorny nests in acacia or baobab trees and these are used as communal roosts. They are noisy and gregarious birds, frequently found feeding on the ground alongside starlings.