Dark-backed weaver
Ploceus bicolor Vieillot, 1819
The dark-backed weaver (Ploceus bicolor) is a species in the family Ploceidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 34.5 g to 35.9 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the dark-backed weaver
- Weight
- 34.5 g – 35.9 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.8 – 2.9src 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 dark-backed weaver live?
Not recorded
What is the dark-backed weaver?
The dark-backed weaver (Ploceus bicolor), also known as the forest weaver, is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae.
It is very sparsely present across central and southern Sub-Saharan Africa.
From the Wikipedia article “Dark-backed weaver” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dark-backed_weaver&oldid=1313827894), 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.
Is the dark-backed weaver endangered?
The dark-backed weaver is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the dark-backed weaver classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPloceidae
- genusPloceus
- SpeciesPloceus bicolor Vieillot, 1819
Synonyms Malimbus bicolor
Other names and names in other languages (33)
- DBWEEnglish
- Forest weaverEnglish
- BosmusikantAfrikaans
- teixidor bicolorCatalan
- snovač tmavohřbetýCzech
- gwehydd deuliwWelsh
- Sortrygget SkovvæverDanish
- WaldweberGerman
- dukolora teksbirdoEsperanto
- Tejedor bicolorSpanish
- metsäkutojaFinnish
- Malimbe bicoloreFrench
- Tisserin bicoloreFrench
- tamnoleđa pletiljaCroatian
- erdei szövőmadárHungarian
- Tessitore di forestaItalian
- ニショクハタオリJapanese
- miškinis audėjasLithuanian
- WoudweverDutch
- skogveverNorwegian
- wikłacz dwubarwnyPolish
- tecelão-bicolorPortuguese
- tecelão-das-florestasPortuguese
- tecelão-de-dorso-escuroPortuguese
- Лесной ткачRussian
- Черноспинный ткачRussian
- pletiarka dvojfarebnáSlovak
- Šumska tkaljaSerbian
- skogsvävareSwedish
- Orman DokumacısıTurkish
- ткачик лісовийUkrainian
- 灰背织雀Chinese
- 暗背織布鳥Chinese
Relatives of the dark-backed weaver
Other species in the same genus Ploceus.
Village weaver
Ploceus cucullatus
Baya weaver
Ploceus philippinus
Streaked weaver
Ploceus manyar
Cape weaver
Ploceus capensis
Southern masked weaver
Ploceus velatus
Black-breasted weaver
Ploceus benghalensis
CompareDark-backed weaver vs Village weaverDark-backed weaver vs Baya weaverDark-backed weaver vs Streaked weaverDark-backed weaver vs Cape weaver
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the dark-backed weaver?
An adult dark-backed weaver weighs 34.5 g – 35.9 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the dark-backed weaver endangered?
The dark-backed 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 dark-backed weaver?
The dark-backed weaver (Ploceus bicolor) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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.
CreatureData. (2026). Dark-backed weaver (Ploceus bicolor). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/dark-backed-weaver
“Dark-backed weaver (Ploceus bicolor).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/dark-backed-weaver.
@misc{dark_backed_weaver_2026,
title = {Dark-backed weaver (Ploceus bicolor)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/dark-backed-weaver},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}