Thick-billed Weaver

Overview

The thick-billed weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons), also known as the grosbeak weaver, is a distinctive and bold species native to the Afrotropics. It belongs to the monotypic genus Amblyospiza and is characterised by its strong mandibles and colonial nesting habits.

Identification

• Particularly strong mandibles used to extricate seeds from nutlets and drupes.
• Songs are comparatively unmusical and harsh.
• Habitually fans and flicks its tail.
• Constructs distinctive globe-shaped nests with the entrance near the top, unlike other weavers.

Habitat

Present in marshes, uplands, suburban areas, and artificial wetlands across West, East, and southern Africa with a patchy distribution. It breeds in reedy wetlands and can be found around forest edges outside the breeding season.

Did you know?

The bird is polygynous, with a single male potentially attracting up to six females and maintaining up to three active nests in his territory at once.