Species profile
About the rufous-tailed weaver
The rufous-tailed weaver is endemic to north-central Tanzania and is the only member of its genus. It is a large, ground-loving weaver with buff, scaly-looking plumage, warm rufous in the wings and tail, and a pale bluish-white eye that gives it a distinctly startled expression.
It builds untidy communal stick nests in acacias, quite unlike the neat woven purses of its relatives, and parties bounce along the ground on the Serengeti and Tarangire plains. It is often listed as the single most sought-after endemic of the northern circuit.
Life in the wild
Behavior & relationships
Behavior
Forages on the ground in parties, hopping and probing for insects and seeds. Noisy and conspicuous around its untidy communal nests.
Social life
Highly social, breeding cooperatively in loose colonies where several birds help build and provision at one nest.
What makes it remarkable
Special features
A Tanzanian endemic and the sole species in its genus, with a nest quite unlike a typical weaver’s woven purse.
