Ploceus castaneiceps
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The Taveta weaver (Ploceus castaneiceps), also known as the Taveta golden weaver, (or the mango bird) is a species of bird in the weaver family, Ploceidae. It is found on the African savannah in Kenya and Tanzania. The name of the bird refers to the region of Taveta in southeastern Kenya near the border with Tanzania where it occurs, as well as how these birds weave intricate nests.
The male Taveta weaver is a vibrant golden yellow color; this color is duller on its back. The wings and tail are a greener color, whereas brown spots are located on the chest. The back of the head is red, and the bill, or beak, is black. The female is an olive color with paler streaks. In general, the Taveta weaver is a small bird, around the size of the finch and closely related to the sparrow.
Even though they are considered songbirds, the sounds that the bird makes are not pleasing to past human observers. Weavers often make a unique—often described as "weird"—noise to communicate. This bird is native to savannah of north-eastern Tanzania and south-eastern Kenya. It prefers to live in bulrushes, woodland, and swampy areas. Some sightings... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arusha National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Amboseli National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Tsavo West National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Safari West | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Brookfield Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Los Angeles Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Oakland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Audubon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Granby Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 15 | Caldwell Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 18 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 20 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 22 | Virginia Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Zoo Atlanta | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 26 | Bird Paradise | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 27 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Rainforest Wild Asia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 29 | Turtle Back Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Roosevelt Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Topeka Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | River Wonders | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 33 | Reid Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 34 | Como Park Zoo and Conservatory | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 35 | Peoria Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 36 | Alameda Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Trevor Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 38 | Vogelpark Heiligenkirchen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 39 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 40 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Taveta Golden-Weaver sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 56 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 190th most-seen of the 380 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–May, August and October–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Taveta Golden-Weaver in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, June–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Taveta Golden-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 Taveta Golden-Weaver sightings, Tsavo West National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Arusha National Park (Tanzania, about 30%) and Amboseli National Park (Kenya, about 30%).
Same genus: Ploceus
The closest relatives of the Taveta Golden-Weaver that you can see in Tsavo West National Park (genus Ploceus, Typical Weavers) are Chestnut Weaver (about 30%), Lesser Masked-Weaver (about 20%) and Village Weaver (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Taveta Golden-Weaver is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (56 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.
