Speke's weaver

Description:

Medium sized weaver, a member of Ploceidae family, grows up to some 15 cm in length. Adult male (there is no non-breeding plumage) has a black face mask extending from the eyes downwards, leaving the crown all yellow. It has pale yellow eyes, and the mantle spangled yellow and black. Female (pic 4 and 5) is dull olive green, with hardly noticeable supercilium, and whitish breast and abdomen.

Habitat:

Rather common in East Africa, and often seen in open acacia woodlands in small flocks. Here, in acacia trees on shores of soda lake Elementaita in central Kenya, in mixed flock roaming around the hotel. In the same flock I noticed Kenyan rufous and House sparrows, Village weaver, Cordonbleu and mannikins.