Ploceus brachypterus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-naped Weaver sighting in Mole National Park on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 214th most-seen of the 266 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and November–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Olive-naped Weaver in Mole National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–June and September–October, the lowest months. July has too few records to rate.
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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Olive-naped Weaver sightings, Mole National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Kakum National Park (Ghana, about 20%) and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 10%).
Same genus: Ploceus
The closest relatives of the Olive-naped Weaver that you can see in Mole National Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Little Weaver (about 50%), Black-headed 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 Olive-naped Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Mole National Park (16 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.
