CreatureData

Sociable weaver

Philetairus socius (Latham, 1790)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) is a species in the family Passeridae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 27 g to 27.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius)
Photo: Yathin S Krishnappa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the sociable weaver

Weight
27.4 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
desertsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
13.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3.5 – 3.6src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the sociable weaver live?

Not recorded

What is the sociable weaver?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) is a species of bird in the weaver family, endemic to Southern Africa. It is the only species in its genus Philetairus. It is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, but its range is centered within the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The species builds large, compound, community nests, a rarity among birds. These nests are perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird.

From the Wikipedia article “Sociable weaver” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sociable_weaver&oldid=1381153354), 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 sociable weaver endangered?

The sociable 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 sociable weaver classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyPasseridae
  6. genusPhiletairus
  7. SpeciesPhiletairus socius (Latham, 1790)

Synonyms Loxia gregaria, Loxia patersoni, Loxia socia, Philetaerus lepidus, Philetairus lepidus, Philetairus socius eremnus, Ploceus patersoni

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • Republican birdEnglish
  • Social grosbeakEnglish
  • Social weaverEnglish
  • SOWEEnglish
  • FamilievoëlAfrikaans
  • VersamelvoëlAfrikaans
  • Versamelvoël (Familievoël)Afrikaans
  • الجمهُورِيّArabic
  • التَّنَوُّط الاجتماعيArabic
  • teixidor republicà socialCatalan
  • snovač pospolitýCzech
  • gwehydd heidiol y DeWelsh
  • RepublikanerDanish
  • SiedelweberGerman
  • socia teksbirdoEsperanto
  • Tejedor republicanoSpanish
  • tasavaltalainenFinnish
  • Républicain socialFrench
  • Moineau-tisserin sociableFrench
  • smeđokapa pletiljaCroatian
  • telepes verébHungarian
  • Tessitore socialeItalian
  • Passero repubblicanoItalian
  • シャカイハタオリJapanese
  • bendruomeninis audėjasLithuanian
  • RepublikeinweverDutch
  • blokkveverNorwegian
  • tkaczPolish
  • tecelão-sociávelPortuguese
  • Общественный ткачикRussian
  • Обыкновенный общественный ткачRussian
  • družník vrabcovitýSlovak
  • Društvena tkaljaSerbian
  • kolonivävareSwedish
  • Sosyal DokumacıTurkish
  • магалі-снувальникUkrainian
  • 廈鳥Chinese
  • 群织雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the sociable weaver

Other species in the same family Passeridae.

CompareSociable weaver vs House sparrowSociable weaver vs Eurasian tree sparrowSociable weaver vs Spanish sparrowSociable weaver vs Rock sparrow

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the sociable weaver?

An adult sociable weaver weighs 27.4 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the sociable weaver endangered?

The sociable 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 sociable weaver?

The sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) belongs to the family Passeridae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

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

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sociable-weaver

MLA

“Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sociable-weaver.

BibTeX
@misc{sociable_weaver_2026,
  title = {Sociable weaver (Philetairus socius)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sociable-weaver},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}