CreatureData

Black-headed weaver

Ploceus melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus) is a species in the family Ploceidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 21.4 g to 27.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)
Photo: Tom Tarrant · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the black-headed weaver

Weight
21.4 g – 27.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
2.4 – 2.45src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the black-headed weaver live?

Not recorded

What is the black-headed weaver?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus), also known as yellow-backed weaver, is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is a resident breeder in damp areas in tropical Africa.

From the Wikipedia article “Black-headed weaver” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black-headed_weaver&oldid=1315114157), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the black-headed weaver sound like?

Anne Ndung'u · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the black-headed weaver endangered?

The black-headed weaver is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the black-headed weaver classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPloceidae
  6. genusPloceus
  7. SpeciesPloceus melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Loxia melanocephala, Malimbus melanocephalus

Other names and names in other languages (35)
  • BHWEEnglish
  • Yellow-backed weaverEnglish
  • Yellow-backed weaverEnglish
  • texedor tiestaprietuAsturian
  • Черноглав тъкачBulgarian
  • teixidor capnegreCatalan
  • snovač černohlavýCzech
  • gwehydd pendduWelsh
  • Sorthovedet VæverDanish
  • SchwarzkopfweberGerman
  • nigrakapa teksbirdoEsperanto
  • Tejedor cabecinegroSpanish
  • mustpea-kangurlindEstonian
  • mustapääkutojaFinnish
  • Malimbe à tête noireFrench
  • Tisserin à tête noireFrench
  • Fíodóir ceanndubhIrish
  • Fidder kione-dooScottish Gaelic
  • crnoglava pletiljaCroatian
  • feketefejű szövőmadárHungarian
  • Tessitore testaneraItalian
  • ズグロハタオリJapanese
  • juodagalvis audėjasLithuanian
  • ZwartkopweverDutch
  • svarthodeveverNorwegian
  • wikłacz czarnogłowyPolish
  • tecelão-de-cabeça-pretaPortuguese
  • Черноголовый ткачRussian
  • pletiarka čiernohlaváSlovak
  • Crnoglava tekstor tkaljaSerbian
  • svarthuvad vävareSwedish
  • Kara Başlı DokumacıTurkish
  • ткачик чорноголовийUkrainian
  • 黑头黄背织雀Chinese
  • 黑頭黃背織布鳥Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the black-headed weaver

Other species in the same genus Ploceus.

LC, Least Concern
Baya weaver (Ploceus philippinus)

Baya weaver

Ploceus philippinus

Ploceidae

CompareBlack-headed weaver vs Village weaverBlack-headed weaver vs Baya weaverBlack-headed weaver vs Streaked weaverBlack-headed weaver vs Cape weaver

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the black-headed weaver?

An adult black-headed weaver weighs 21.4 g – 27.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the black-headed weaver endangered?

The black-headed weaver is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the black-headed weaver?

The black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus) belongs to the family Ploceidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-weaver

MLA

“Black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-weaver.

BibTeX
@misc{black_headed_weaver_2026,
  title = {Black-headed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-headed-weaver},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}