Ploceus ocularis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found widely in woodland, forest edge and gardens of central, eastern and south-eastern Africa, but is absent from the most arid regions (such as the Karoo) and dense, primary rainforest. This common species breeds in solitary pairs, and both sexes are bright yellow, have an olive-yellow back, black "spectacles" and pale eyes. The male has a black throat.
Craig 2010. Family Ploceidae. pp. 74–197 in: del Hoyo, Elliott and Christie, eds. 2010. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Spectacled weaver - Species text in Weaver Watch. Spectacled weaver - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
Image at ADW Wikipedia →
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Spectacled Weaver sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 340 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 125th most-seen of the 398 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.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Spectacled Weaver in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in December to October, the lowest months. That is one of Masai Mara National Reserve's wettest months, with about 120 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spectacled 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.
15th of 36
Of the 36 parks where we can rate Spectacled Weaver sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 40%), Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe, about 30%) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Ploceus
The closest relatives of the Spectacled Weaver that you can see in Masai Mara National Reserve (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Village Weaver (about 20%), Baglafecht Weaver (about 10%) and Holub's Golden-Weaver (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spectacled Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (340 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.
