Philetairus socius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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.
The sociable weaver was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1790. Alternative names include the common social weaver, common social-weaver, and social weaver. Formerly, four subspecies were recognised, but the species is now considered monotypic. The sociable weaver is the only extant species in the genus Philetairus.
Based on a 2017 DNA-analysis, P. socius belongs to the group of sparrow weavers (subfamily Plocepasserinae) and is most related to the genus Pseudonigrita. These two genera are the sister group of the genus Plocepasser. The most basic genus of the subfamily is Sporopipes. Provided that genera are correct clades, the following tree expresses current insights.
Measuring... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Basel Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Social Weaver sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 479 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 260 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Social Weaver in Etosha National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June, the lowest month. That is one of Etosha National Park's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain against almost none in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Social Weaver sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Social Weaver sightings, Etosha National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 70%) and Namib-Naukluft National Park (Namibia, about 30%).
Same family: Passeridae
The closest relatives of the Social Weaver that you can see in Etosha National Park (family Passeridae, Old World Sparrows) are Southern Gray-headed Sparrow (about 40%), White-browed Sparrow-Weaver (about 40%) and Great Rufous Sparrow (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Social Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Etosha National Park (479 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.
