Lesser Masked-Weaver

Lesser Masked-Weaver

Ploceus intermedius

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Nairobi National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

133 Verified sightings at Nairobi National Park From 2019 to 2026
6,026 In all 42 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lesser Masked-Weaver

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 →

Sounds

Call0:55

Uganda · 2018

© Phil Gregory · XC608248 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:48

Ethiopia · 2019

© Oscar Campbell · XC473963 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:25

Kenya · 2018

© Frank Lambert · XC451575 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
3 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~30%
4 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
5 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
6 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
7 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
8 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
9 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~20%
10 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
11 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
12 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
~20%
13 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
14 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
15 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
16 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
17 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
18 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
19 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
20 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~10%
21 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
22 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
23 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
24 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
25 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
~10%
26 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
27 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
28 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
29 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
30 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
31 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
32 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
33 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
34 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
35 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
36 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
37 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
39 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
40 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
41 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
42 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
~10%
2 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
3 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
4 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
5 Durban 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
6 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
7 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Parc des oiseaux 🇫🇷 France In captivity
2 Elephant Sanctuary, The Crags, Plettenberg Bay 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity
3 Birds of Eden 🇿🇦 South Africa In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Masked-Weaver in Nairobi National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Masked-Weaver sighting in Nairobi National Park on a given day, based on 133 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 191st most-seen of the 371 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Masked-Weaver in Nairobi National Park?

August

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Masked-Weaver in Nairobi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and October, the lowest months. That is one of Nairobi National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 180 mm in April.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Masked-Weaver?

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.

Is Nairobi National Park the best place to see a Lesser Masked-Weaver?

24th of 42

Of the 42 parks where we can rate Lesser Masked-Weaver sightings, Nairobi National Park ranks 24th 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%).

Which relatives of the Lesser Masked-Weaver live in Nairobi National Park?

Same genus: Ploceus

The closest relatives of the Lesser Masked-Weaver that you can see in Nairobi National Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Baglafecht Weaver (about 40%), Speke's Weaver (about 30%) and Holub's Golden-Weaver (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Lesser Masked-Weaver sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Masked-Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Nairobi National Park (133 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.

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