Lufira Masked Weaver

The Ruwet - Weaver (Ploceus ruweti ) is a little-known species from the family of weaver birds. The specific epithet honors the Belgian ornithologist Jean -Claude Ruwet who had discovered this kind in 1960.

Features

The breeding plumage of the adult male is at the bottom orange - maroon color. The black coloration on the head does not reach the neck. The back is deep yellow. The coverts are washed out reddish brown. The iris is dark red. The beak is black and the legs are gray - beige. Males who are not in breeding condition, have a greenish upper head and a yellow throat. The females are generally greenish colored. You have no blackening and virtually no reddish brown color on the feathers. At the middle wing-coverts is a showy upper wing and binding on the large wing-coverts is an inconspicuous lower wing to recognize binding. The eyes are dark and the beak is gray. The height is 13 cm and weight 17 grams. The wing length (measured from the bend of wing ) is 68.5 to 71 mm, tail length 45 mm, the run length from 20.5 to 21.0 mm and the beak First length 16 mm. (This body mass refers to the holotype of 1960 and on a dead bird of 2009).

Occurrence and habitat

The Ruwet Weaver is endemic at Lac Tshangalele (also known as Lake Lufira ) in the Katanga province in the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It inhabits marshland and reed beds, which is dominated by the genera Phragmites and Typha.

Way of life

The breeding season is during the rainy season from January to April. The nest consists of two eggs with a light green base color and many brown spots. The colony size varies between three and 20 nests. The male weaves the nest and defends it against other males that steal nesting material.

Systematics and status

The Ruwet -Weber has long been known only from the holotype in 1960, before he was rediscovered in February 2009. IUCN, the kind in the category Insufficient data (data deficient ) is classified. At times the Ruwet -Weber as a subspecies of Reichard Weber ( Ploceus reichardi ) was considered.

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