White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

Dinemellia dinemelli

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Amboseli National Park

In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%

475 Verified sightings at Amboseli National Park From 2019 to 2026
6,290 In all 14 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

The white-headed buffalo weaver or white-faced buffalo-weaver (Dinemellia dinemelli) is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to East Africa. The buffalo part of its name derives from its habit of following the African buffalo, feeding on disturbed insects. Two subspecies are recognized.

The white-headed buffalo weaver was first described by the German naturalist Eduard Rüppell in 1845. Two subspecies of the white-headed buffalo weaver are now recognized. The white-headed buffalo weaver is 170 to 190 mm (6.7–7.5 in) in length and 57 to 85 g (2.0–3.0 oz) in weight. In addition to its white head and underparts, the white-headed buffalo weaver has a vividly orange-red rump and undertail coverts. Its thighs are dark brown. Narrow white bands can be found on the wings especially when stretch his wings sideways. Both sexes are similar in plumage and hard to differentiate.

The white-headed buffalo weaver is native to the African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:21

Tanzania · 2019

© Peter Boesman · XC510139 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:52

Ethiopia · 2015

© Andrew Spencer · XC268909 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:22

Tanzania · 2017

© Frank Lambert · XC450581 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~80%
2 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~80%
3 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~70%
4 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~60%
5 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
6 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~50%
7 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
8 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~40%
9 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
10 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~30%
11 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
12 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
13 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
14 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Disney's Animal Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
2 San Diego Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
3 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
4 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
5 North Carolina Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
6 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
7 San Diego Zoo Safari Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Columbus Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
9 Bronx Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
10 Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
11 Milwaukee County Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
12 Dallas Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
13 Toledo Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
14 Detroit Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
15 Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
16 Woodland Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
17 Oregon Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
18 Virginia Zoological Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
19 Houston Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
20 San Antonio Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
21 Cameron Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
22 Honolulu Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
23 Zoo Atlanta 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
24 Ueno Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
25 Lincoln Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
26 Roger Williams Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
27 Zoologischer Garten Halle 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
28 Reid Park Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
29 World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
30 Tracy Aviary 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
31 Ōmiya Park Zoo 🇯🇵 Japan In captivity
32 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
33 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
34 The Zoo In Forest Park 🇺🇸 United States In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-headed Buffalo-Weaver in Amboseli National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Buffalo-Weaver sighting in Amboseli National Park on a given day, based on 475 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 362 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-headed Buffalo-Weaver in Amboseli National Park?

May

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-headed Buffalo-Weaver in Amboseli National Park on a given day, against about 30% in June, October and December–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a White-headed Buffalo-Weaver?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-headed Buffalo-Weaver sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Which relatives of the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver live in Amboseli National Park?

Same family: Ploceidae

The closest relatives of the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver that you can see in Amboseli National Park (family Ploceidae, Weavers and Allies) are Taveta Golden-Weaver (about 30%), Red-billed Quelea (about 20%) and Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-headed Buffalo-Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Amboseli National Park (475 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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