Philetairus socius
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
The sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) is a species of bird in the weaver family, endemic to Southern Africa. It is the only species in its genus Philetairus. It is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, but its range is centered within the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The species builds large, compound, community nests, a rarity among birds. These nests are perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird.
The sociable weaver was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1790. Alternative names include the common social weaver, common social-weaver, and social weaver. Formerly, four subspecies were recognised, but the species is now considered monotypic. The sociable weaver is the only extant species in the genus Philetairus.
Based on a 2017 DNA-analysis, P. socius belongs to the group of sparrow weavers (subfamily Plocepasserinae) and is most related to the genus Pseudonigrita. These two genera are the sister group of the genus Plocepasser. The most basic genus of the subfamily is Sporopipes. Provided that genera are correct clades, the following tree expresses current insights.
Measuring... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Basel Zoo | 🇨🇭 Switzerland |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Social Weaver sighting in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, based on 240 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 108 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Social Weaver in Namib-Naukluft National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January–February and July–August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Social Weaver sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Social Weaver sightings, Namib-Naukluft National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (South Africa, about 70%).
Same family: Passeridae
The closest relatives of the Social Weaver that you can see in Namib-Naukluft National Park (family Passeridae, Old World Sparrows) are Cape Sparrow (about 80%) and Southern Gray-headed Sparrow (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Social Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Namib-Naukluft National Park (240 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.
