Ploceus intermedius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The lesser masked weaver (Ploceus intermedius) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It builds its nests in large colonies, often alongside the village weaver and sometimes the red-billed buffalo weaver. This species is commonly parasitised by the Diederik cuckoo. It is found in eastern, south-eastern and southern Africa.
Lesser masked weaver - Species text in Weaver Watch. Lesser masked weaver - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds. Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Elephant Sanctuary, The Crags, Plettenberg Bay | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Masked-Weaver sighting in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 141st most-seen of the 220 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December and January
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Masked-Weaver in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April and June–September, the lowest months. Those are among Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in June.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Masked-Weaver sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
27th of 42
Of the 42 parks where we can rate Lesser Masked-Weaver sightings, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park ranks 27th at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 30%), Lake Mburo National Park (Uganda, about 30%) and Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%).
Same genus: Ploceus
The closest relatives of the Lesser Masked-Weaver that you can see in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Village Weaver (about 20%), Spectacled Weaver (about 20%) and Southern Masked Weaver (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Masked-Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (33 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.
