Ploceus intermedius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% 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 Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 50 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 147th most-seen of the 275 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Masked-Weaver in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to July, the lowest months. That is one of Mana Pools National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against almost none in August. March has too few records to rate.
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.
20th of 42
Of the 42 parks where we can rate Lesser Masked-Weaver sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 20th 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 Mana Pools National Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Southern Masked Weaver (about 10%), Spectacled Weaver (about 10%) and Village 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 Mana Pools National Park (50 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.
