Ploceus spekei
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
Speke's weaver (Ploceus spekei) is a familiar East African songbird. The eyes are pale and the bill is on the large side for a weaver. Unlike many weavers, it has the same plumage all year. The adult male is yellow with black throat (edged rusty), face, and bill, and variable black mottling on the back. The adult female's upperparts are dull olive-gray with dusky brown streaks; the underparts are pale yellow, whiter on the belly and grayer on the flanks. The juvenile is similar but duller.
The song is variable; one version is transcribed as "pew…pew…tew, chinkichi-chewchew-skerinkitsitew". Calls include harsh chatter at the nest and a sharp "tseep!" This species nests in colonies or occasionally singly. The nest, often woven in an acacia, is spherical with a short entrance tube opening sideways or downward. Many grass stems project sloppily, sometimes obscuring the shape. It nests in both the short rainy season and the middle of the long rainy season. Typical clutches comprise four eggs, which are unmarked deep blue, somewhat pointed at both ends, 24 to 26 mm long and 15 to 17 mm wide.
Speke's weaver is found in northern and eastern Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya (mostly the central highlands), and north-eastern Tanzania. It inhabits savanna, bush, agricultural land, and towns. In parts of its range it is common, notably the densely populated area of Nairobi and environs, where it visits bird feeders.
This bird was named in honor of John Speke. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 2 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 4 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 5 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 6 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 7 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 9 | Aberdare National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 10 | Lake Manyara National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 11 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Speke's Weaver sighting in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 281st most-seen of the 341 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Speke's Weaver in Samburu National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months. That is one of Samburu National Reserve's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 95 mm in April.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Speke's 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.
11th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Speke's Weaver sightings, Samburu National Reserve ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 30%), Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 30%) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 20%).
Same genus: Ploceus
The closest relatives of the Speke's Weaver that you can see in Samburu National Reserve (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Chestnut Weaver (about 40%), Golden Palm Weaver (about 20%) and Lesser Masked-Weaver (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Speke's Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Samburu National Reserve (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.
