Spectacled weaver
Ploceus ocularis A. Smith, 1828
The spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis) is a species in the family Ploceidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 24.3 g to 29.6 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the spectacled weaver
- Weight
- 24.3 g – 29.6 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 10 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- woodlandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.65 – 2.8src 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
Photos of the spectacled weaver
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
.jpg){kind=link}
Where does the spectacled weaver live?
Not recorded
What is the spectacled weaver?
The spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found widely in woodland, forest edge and gardens of central, eastern and south-eastern Africa, but is absent from the most arid regions (such as the Karoo) and dense, primary rainforest. This common species breeds in solitary pairs, and both sexes are bright yellow, have an olive-yellow back, black "spectacles" and pale eyes. The male has a black throat.
From the Wikipedia article “Spectacled weaver” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spectacled_weaver&oldid=1380715792), 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 spectacled weaver endangered?
The spectacled 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 spectacled weaver classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPloceidae
- genusPloceus
- SpeciesPloceus ocularis A. Smith, 1828
Synonyms Malimbus ocularis, Ploceus ocularis, Ploceus ocularius
Relatives of the spectacled 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
CompareSpectacled weaver vs Village weaverSpectacled weaver vs Baya weaverSpectacled weaver vs Streaked weaverSpectacled weaver vs Cape weaver
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the spectacled weaver?
An adult spectacled weaver weighs 24.3 g – 29.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the spectacled weaver endangered?
The spectacled 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 spectacled weaver?
The spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis) 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). Spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/spectacled-weaver
“Spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/spectacled-weaver.
@misc{spectacled_weaver_2026,
title = {Spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/spectacled-weaver},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}