Ploceus brachypterus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The olive-naped weaver (Ploceus brachypterus) is a bird species in the family Ploceidae. It is found in West Africa from Senegal and Gambia to Cameroon. The olive-naped weaver was formally described and illustrated in 1837 by the English naturalist William Swainson. He did not specify the origin of his specimens but they probably came from Senegal. He placed the species in the genus Ploceus and coined the binomial name Ploceus brachypterus. The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek brakhupteros meaning "short-winged".
The olive-naped weaver was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-necked weaver (Ploceus nigricollis). The two species differ in plumage and in the colour of the iris, but a molecular study published in 2019 found that they are genetically very similar.
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakum National Park | 🇬🇭 Ghana | |
| 2 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 3 | Mole National Park | 🇬🇭 Ghana |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-naped Weaver sighting in Kakum National Park on a given day, based on 94 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 109th most-seen of the 250 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-naped Weaver in Kakum National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February, June and November–December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Olive-naped 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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Olive-naped Weaver sightings, Kakum National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 10%) and Mole National Park (Ghana, under 5%).
Same genus: Ploceus
The closest relatives of the Olive-naped Weaver that you can see in Kakum National Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Maxwell's Black Weaver (about 30%), Chestnut-and-black Weaver (about 30%) and Yellow-mantled Weaver (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Olive-naped Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Kakum National Park (94 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.
