Species names in all available languages
| Language | Common name |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Baardmannetjie |
| Catalan | teixidor menut de front escatós |
| Dutch | Baardmanwever |
| English | Scaly Weaver |
| English (South Africa) | Scaly-feathered Finch |
| English (United States) | Scaly Weaver |
| French | Sporopipe squameux |
| French (France) | Sporopipe squameux |
| German | Bartweber |
| Japanese | キクスズメ |
| Norwegian | skjeggvever |
| Polish | łuskogłowik czarnobrody |
| Portuguese (Angola) | Tecelão-de-testa-malhada |
| Russian | Усатый воробьиный ткачик |
| Serbian | Brkica |
| Slovak | fuzánka sivá |
| Spanish | Tejedorcito Escamoso |
| Spanish (Spain) | Tejedorcito escamoso |
| Swedish | mustaschvävare |
| Turkish | Pul Alınlı Dokumacı |
| Ukrainian | Магалі-вусань південний |
Revision Notes
This account is part of the 8th edition of Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. This project is a joint collaboration between the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. H. Dieter Oschadleus revised the account. Peter Pyle contributed to the Plumages, Molts, and Structure page. Shawn M. Billerman contributed to the Systematics page. Arnau Bonan Barfull curated the media. Huy C. Truong updated the distribution map.
Sporopipes squamifrons (Smith, 1836)
Definitions
- SPOROPIPES
- squamifrons
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Scaly Weaver Sporopipes squamifrons Scientific name definitions
Version: 2.0 — Published February 23, 2023
Photos from this Account
Formative or Definitive Basic.
Note the scaly, black-and-white forehead and forecrown, black lores, distinctive malar stripes, rose-pink bill, and black wing coverts with broad white edges.
Natal Down.
The nestling is covered with sparse grayish to silvery down.
Juvenile.
Juvenile Plumage is similar to Definitive Basic Plumage except it averages duller and the head pattern has less distinct and browner lores and malar stripes and lacks the scaling on the forehead, the feathering here being are dull gray-brown. Feathering to the underparts is more filamentous due to lower barb densities. The preformative molt has commenced in this individuals, with a few scaly forehead feathers growing in. Note also the duller pink bill and duller browner legs than are found in adults.
Juvenile commencing the Preformative Molt
Note the duller plumage and head pattern with less-distinct and browner lores and malar stripes, and the lack of scaling on the forehead, the feathering here being are dull gray-brown. Feathering to the underparts is more filamentous due to lower barb densities. The preformative molt has commenced in this individual, with a few scaly forehead feathers growing in. Note also the duller pink bill and duller browner legs than are found in adults.
Head detail.
Forehead and crown feathers are black with arrow-shaped white margins.
Formative or Definitive Basic.
Plumage is primarily pale brown to gray-brown, with the forehead and crown feathers black with arrow-shaped white margins. The tail is dark brown to blackish, the feathers with with white edges. The upperwing is brown with contrastingly black upperwing coverts and tertials, with broad white margins. The chin and lores are black, the throat white, with two black malar streaks extending onto the throat. Formative and definitive basic plumages are not separable. The bill is bright pink.
Formative or Definitive Basic.
The chin and lores are black and the throat white with two distinct black malar streaks bordered above by a white stripe. The underparts are whitish to pale buff, often with a pale brown wash on the breast
Exemplar habitat: Limpopo, South Africa.
Typical Vachellia habitat: Limpopo, South Africa.
Typical Vachellia habitat: Oshikoto, Namibia.
Typical habitat: Ghanzi, Botswana.
Adult foraging on sand in Namibian desert.
Adults feeding on the ground.
Adult feeding on ground between small stones
Large numbers of adults attracted to bird seed on ground
Adults drinking
Adults drinking.
Adult preening the face of another adult.
Adults at Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius) nest after roosting.
Huddling behavior.
Pair in a shrub with a nest partially hidden in the twigs
Nest in a dry thorny shrub
Adult carrying nesting material.
Example of roosting nest.
Example of roosting nest.
Example of roosting nest.
Example of breeding nest.
Example of breeding nest.
Nest in thorny shrub.
Macaulay Library Photos for Scaly Weaver
Top-rated photos submitted to the Macaulay Library via eBird. Note: Our content editors have not confirmed the species identification for these photos.
