Ploceus intermedius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 257 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 117th most-seen of the 351 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Masked-Weaver in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, June and August, the lowest months.
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.
14th of 42
Of the 42 parks where we can rate Lesser Masked-Weaver sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 14th 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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are African Golden-Weaver (about 40%), Dark-backed Weaver (about 40%) and Spectacled Weaver (about 30%), 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 iSimangaliso Wetland Park (257 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.
