Lesser masked weaver

Lesser masked weaver
Male
A female with pale leg and iris colour
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Ploceidae
Genus:	Ploceus
Species:	P. intermedius
Binomial name
Ploceus intermedius Rüppell, 1845

The lesser masked weaver (Ploceus intermedius) is a species of bird in the Ploceidae family. It builds its nests in large colonies, often alongside the village weaver and sometimes the red-billed buffalo weaver. This species is commonly parasitised by the Diederik cuckoo.

Range

It is found in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Races

There are two races:^[2]

• P. i. intermedius Rüppell, 1845 – From Djibouti to central Tanzania
• P. i. cabanisii (W. K. H. Peters, 1868) – African west coast and southern Africa

Synonyms are P. i. beattyi in Angola and P. i. luebberti in Namibia

References

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Ploceus intermedius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
2. "Lesser Masked Weaver (Ploceus intermedius)". Internet Bird Collection. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 21 October 2012.

External links

• Lesser masked weaver - Species text in Weaver Watch.
• Lesser masked weaver - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.