Ploceus
Genus of birds
title: "Ploceus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ploceus", "ploceidae", "bird-genera", "taxa-named-by-georges-cuvier"] description: "Genus of birds" topic_path: "general/ploceus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploceus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of birds ::
| image = The birds of Africa (Shelley) - Plate 41, 1905 (14748527162).jpg | image_caption = Bocage's weaver (P. temporalis) and Bertram's weaver (P. bertrandi) ♀ | taxon = Ploceus | authority = Cuvier, 1816 | type_species = Loxia philippina | type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1766 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms = | Hyphanthurgus | Sundevall, 1872 | Hyphanturgus | Cabanis, 1851 | Nelicurvius | Bonaparte, 1850 | Nelicurvus | Pollen, 1863 | Notiospiza | Oberholser, 1905 | Othyphantes | Shelley, 1896 | Pachyphantes | Shelley, 1896 | Phormoplectes | Reichenow, 1903 | Ploceus | victoriae Ash, 1986 | Ploceys | Billberg, 1828 | Ploceëlla | Oates, 1874 | Plocion | Merrem, 1826 | Plocus | Lafresnaye, 1835 | Sharpia | Barboza de Bocage, 1878 | Simplectes | Lesson, 1844 | Sitagra | Reichenbach, 1850 | Sitagroides | Roberts, 1947 | Sycobrotus | Cabanis, 1851 | Symplectes | Swainson, 1837 | Textor | Temminck, 1827 | Thomasophantes | Sclater, 1925 | synonyms_ref =
| header = Ploceinae, 1st group | image1 = Blackbreastedweaver_DSC_6530_040813_dadri.jpg | caption1 = Black-breasted weaver "true Ploceus" |width1= 192 | image2 = Madagascar Fody. Foudia madagascariensis - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg | caption2 = Madagascar fody (genus Foudia) | image3 = Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) (6040990915).jpg | caption3 = Red-billed quelea (genus Quelea) |width3= 188 | image4 = Southern Red Bishop or Red Bishop (Euplectes orix) (1).jpg | caption4 = Southern red bishop (genus Euplectes) | header = Ploceinae, 2nd group | image1 = Nelicourvi Weaver.jpg | caption1 = Nelicourvi weaver (genus Ploceus) "reinstated Nelicurvius" |width1= 197 | image2 = Malimbus cassini 1876.jpg | caption2 = Cassin's malimbe (genus Malimbus) "extended Malimbus" | image3 = Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes melanotis) (8390429318).jpg | caption3 = Red-headed weaver (genus Anaplectes) "extended Malimbus" |width3= 182 | image4 = Southern Masked Weaver (Ploceus velatus) male (32762140665), crop.jpg | caption4 = Southern masked weaver (genus Ploceus) "extended Malimbus"
Ploceus is a genus of birds in the weaver family, Ploceidae. They are native to the Indomalayan and Afrotropical realms.
Taxonomy and systematics
Phylogeny
The genus Ploceus was introduced by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1816. The type species was subsequently designated as the baya weaver. The genus name is from Ancient Greek πλοκευς plokeus meaning "weaver", and is derived from the Greek word πλεκω plekō "to entwine".
Based on recent DNA-analysis, the genus Ploceus is almost certainly polyphyletic. If all species currently included in the genus would remain and the genus would be made monophyletic, it would have to encompass the entire subfamily Ploceinae. The Ploceinae can be divided into two groups. In the first group, the widowbirds and bishops (genus Euplectes) are sister to a clade in which the genera Foudia and Quelea are closest relatives and which further includes the Asiatic species of Ploceus, i.e. P. manyar, P. philippinus, P. benghalensis, P. megarhynchus, (and P. hypoxanthus, although untested). Since Georges Cuvier picked P. philippinus as the type species, these five species would logically remain assigned to the genus Ploceus.
Basic to the second group is a clade consisting of both species so far included in Ploceus that live on Madagascar, P. nelicourvi and P. sakalava, and these are morphologically very distinct from the remaining species. These two species could in future be assigned to the genus Nelicurvius that was erected by Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1850, but which was merged with Ploceus later on. This second group further contains the genera Malimbus and Anaplectes, and all remaining Ploceus species. As Malimbus is the earlier name, erected by Vieillot et al. in 1805, the remaining species of Ploceus, as well as Anaplectes rubiceps, could in future be assigned to Malimbus. These changes are largely corroborated by morphological revisions. Provided that the other genera that have not been proposed to be merged into an extended "Malimbus" are monophyletic, the following (incomplete) tree expresses current insights. |label1=subfamily Ploceinae |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |label1= "true Ploceus" |1={{clade |1=P. megarhynchus |2={{clade |1=P. benghalensis |2={{clade |1=P. manyar |2=P. philippinus |2={{clade |1= genus Foudia |2= genus Quelea |2=genus Euplectes |2={{clade |label1="reinstated Nelicurvius" |1={{clade |1=P. nelicourvi |2=P. sakalava |label2= "extended Malimbus" |2={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=Malimbus malimbicus |2=Malimbus nitens |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Malimbus cassini |2=Malimbus racheliae |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Anaplectes rubiceps |2=P. bicolor |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Malimbus rubricollis |2=P. albinucha |2={{clade |1=P. insignis |2=P. olivaceiceps |2={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=P. xanthops |2={{clade |1=P. velatus |2=P. subaureus |2={{clade |1=P. nigricollis |2={{clade |1=P. ocularis |2={{clade |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=P. pelzelni |2=P. luteolus |2={{clade |1=P. melanogaster |2=P. alienus |2={{clade |1=P. vitellinus |2={{clade |1=P. rubiginosus |2={{clade |1=P. aurantius |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=P. bertrandi |2=P. baglafecht |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=P. nigerrimus |2=P. weynsi |2={{clade |1=P. cucullatus |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=P. castaneiceps |2=P. xanthopterus |2={{clade |1=P. heuglini |2={{clade |1=P. taeniopterus |2=P. melanocephalus |3=P. castanops
Species list
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/The_birds_of_Africa_(Shelley)_-_Plate_40,1905(14745658961).jpg" caption="Speke's weaver (''[[Ploceus spekei]]'', below) and village weaver (''[[Ploceus cucullatus]]'' subsp. ''nigriceps'')"] ::
The genus contains 66 species. ::data[format=table]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Baglafecht Weaver - Tanzania 0106 (22850517295).jpg | 120px]] | Baglafecht weaver | Ploceus baglafecht |
| [[File:Bannerman's Weaver (Ploceus bannermani).jpg | 120px]] | Bannerman's weaver | Ploceus bannermani |
| [[File:OthyphantesBatesiGronvold.jpg | 120px]] | Bates's weaver | Ploceus batesi |
| Black-chinned weaver | Ploceus nigrimentus | Bailundu Highlands of western Angola, on the Batéké Plateau in Republic of the Congo, and in eastern Gabon. | |
| [[File:HyphantornisBertrandiKeulemans.jpg | 120px]] | Bertram's weaver | Ploceus bertrandi |
| [[File:Slender billed weaver fem1.jpg | 120px]] | Slender-billed weaver | Ploceus pelzelni |
| [[File:Loango Weaver iNaturalist, crop.jpg | 120px]] | Loango weaver | Ploceus subpersonatus |
| [[File:Little Weaver - Baringo - Kenya NH8O1263 (22229369863).jpg | 120px]] | Little weaver | Ploceus luteolus |
| [[File:Spectacled Weaver.jpg | 120px]] | Spectacled weaver | Ploceus ocularis |
| [[File:Ploceus nigricollis.jpeg | 120px]] | Black-necked weaver | Ploceus nigricollis |
| [[File:Black-necked Weaver - Ghana S4E2483 (22458282099).jpg | 120px]] | Olive-naped weaver | Ploceus brachypterus |
| [[File:Strange weaver.jpg | 120px]] | Strange weaver | Ploceus alienus |
| [[File:Black-billed Weaver - Kakamega - Kenya 6 1635 (22227722834).jpg | 120px]] | Black-billed weaver | Ploceus melanogaster |
| [[File:Cape Weaver (44031839504).jpg | 120px]] | Cape weaver | Ploceus capensis |
| [[File:The birds of Africa (Shelley) - Plate 41, 1905 (14748527162), Ploceus temporalis.jpg | 120px]] | Bocage's weaver | Ploceus temporalis |
| [[File:Eastern golden weaver - KwaZulu-Natal (8450712989).jpg | 120px]] | Eastern golden weaver | Ploceus subaureus |
| [[File:Holub's golden weaver (Ploceus xanthops) (22561083782).jpg | 120px]] | Holub's golden weaver | Ploceus xanthops |
| [[File:Orange Weaver near Ankasa - Ghana 14 S4E2261 (15578575333).jpg | 120px]] | Orange weaver | Ploceus aurantius |
| [[File:Heuglin's Masked Weaver specimen RWD.jpg | 120px]] | Heuglin's masked weaver | Ploceus heuglini |
| [[File:Golden Palm Weaver - Meru - Kenya 06 8317 (22850470935).jpg | 120px]] | Golden palm weaver | Ploceus bojeri |
| [[File:Taveta Golden Weaver RWD.jpg | 120px]] | Taveta weaver | Ploceus castaneiceps |
| [[File:Príncipe golden weaver (Ploceus princeps) male.jpg | 120px]] | Príncipe weaver | Ploceus princeps |
| [[File:Northern Brown-throated Weaver (Ploceus castanops) (45671971275).jpg | 120px]] | Northern brown-throated weaver | Ploceus castanops |
| [[File:Southern brown-throated weaver (Ploceus xanthopterus castaneigula) male.jpg | 120px]] | Southern brown-throated weaver | Ploceus xanthopterus |
| Ruvu weaver | Ploceus holoxanthus | Tanzania | |
| Kilombero weaver | Ploceus burnieri | Tanzania | |
| [[File:Al-habbak.jpg | 120px]] | Rüppell's weaver | Ploceus galbula |
| [[File:Northern masked weaver (Ploceus taeniopterus) male.jpg | 120px]] | Northern masked weaver | Ploceus taeniopterus |
| [[File:Black Headed Oriole (6290941942).jpg | 120px]] | Lesser masked weaver | Ploceus intermedius |
| [[File:Maskenwebervogel2, Version b.jpg | 120px]] | Southern masked weaver | Ploceus velatus |
| [[File:20160605 0518 Bangweulu Tisserin du Katanga (cropped).jpg | 120px]] | Katanga masked weaver | Ploceus katangae |
| Lufira masked weaver | Ploceus ruweti | Democratic Republic of the Congo. | |
| Tanzanian masked weaver | Ploceus reichardi | south-western Tanzania and north-eastern Zambia. | |
| [[File:Vitelline Masked Weaver male RWD.jpg | 120px]] | Vitelline masked weaver | Ploceus vitellinus |
| [[File:Speke's weaver (Ploceus spekei).jpg | 120px]] | Speke's weaver | Ploceus spekei |
| [[File:Fox's_Weaver_specimen_RWD.jpg | 120px]] | Fox's weaver | Ploceus spekeoides |
| [[File:Black-headed weaver (Ploceus cucullatus bohndorffi) male.jpg | 120px]] | Village weaver | Ploceus cucullatus |
| [[File:Ploceus grandis cropped.jpg | 120px]] | Giant weaver | Ploceus grandis |
| [[File:Chestnut-and-black Weaver (Ploceus castaneofuscus) male on nest, Kakum NP, Ghana.jpg | 120px]] | Chestnut-and-black weaver | Ploceus castaneofuscus |
| [[File:Viellot's Weaver - Kibale - Uganda 06 4155 (22850466945).jpg | 120px]] | Vieillot's black weaver | Ploceus nigerrimus |
| [[File:Weyns's_Weaver_specimen_RWD.jpg | 120px]] | Weyns's weaver | Ploceus weynsi |
| [[File:Clarke's_Weaver_specimen_RWD.jpg | 120px]] | Kilifi weaver | Ploceus golandi |
| [[File:Juba_Weaver.jpg | 120px]] | Juba weaver | Ploceus dichrocephalus |
| [[File:Yellow backed weaver.jpg | 120px]] | Black-headed weaver | Ploceus melanocephalus |
| [[File:Golden-backed Weaver - Baringo - Kenya NH8O1102 (28909840167).jpg | 120px]] | Golden-backed weaver | Ploceus jacksoni |
| Cinnamon weaver | Ploceus badius | Sudan and South Sudan | |
| [[File:Chestnut weaver (Ploceus rubiginosus) male.jpg | 120px]] | Chestnut weaver | Ploceus rubiginosus |
| Golden-naped weaver | Ploceus aureonucha | northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. | |
| [[File:Yellow-mantled Weaver - Kakum - Ghana 14 S4E2382 (16012589227).jpg | 120px]] | Yellow-mantled weaver | Ploceus tricolor |
| [[File:Maxwell's Black Weaver, Kakum, Ghana S4E1381, crop.jpg | 120px]] | Maxwell's black weaver | Ploceus albinucha |
| [[File:Nelicourvi Weaver.jpg | 120px]] | Nelicourvi weaver | Ploceus nelicourvi |
| [[File:Sakalavawever 2.JPG | 120px]] | Sakalava weaver | Ploceus sakalava |
| [[File:Asian Golden Weaver - Petchaburi - Thailand S4E4522 (14072230600) (2) (cropped).jpg | 120px]] | Asian golden weaver | Ploceus hypoxanthus |
| [[File:Blackbreastedweaver DSC 6530 040813 dadri.jpg | 120px]] | Black-breasted weaver | Ploceus benghalensis |
| [[File:Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar) (37514260752).jpg | 120px]] | Streaked weaver | Ploceus manyar |
| [[File:Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus male Breeding plumage by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSC 5420 (15).jpg | 120px]] | Baya weaver | Ploceus philippinus |
| [[File:Finn's Weaver Baur Reservoir Uttarand India 05.10.2014.jpg | 120px]] | Finn's weaver | Ploceus megarhynchus |
| [[File:Dark-backed weaver, Ploceus bicolor, also known as the forest weaver at Ndumo Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28841131011).jpg | 120px]] | Dark-backed weaver | Ploceus bicolor |
| [[File:Original18.jpg | 120px]] | Preuss's weaver | Ploceus preussi |
| Yellow-capped weaver | Ploceus dorsomaculatus | Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. | |
| [[File:Olive-Headed Weaver (6885957391).jpg | 120px]] | Olive-headed weaver | Ploceus olivaceiceps |
| Usambara weaver | Ploceus nicolli | Tanzania. | |
| [[File:Brown-capped Weaver - Kakamega - Kenya 06 2716 (22227720784) (cropped).jpg | 120px]] | Brown-capped weaver | Ploceus insignis |
| [[File:Ploceus_angolensis_Keulemans.jpg | 120px]] | Bar-winged weaver | Ploceus angolensis |
| [[File:Ploceus_sanctithomae_-Beitrag_zur_Ornithologie_Westafrica%27s(cropped)_(cropped).jpg | 120px]] | São Tomé weaver | Ploceus sanctithomae |
| Yellow-legged weaver | Ploceus flavipes | Democratic Republic of the Congo. | |
| :: |
References
References
- . ["Ploceidae"](https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=190). *The Trust for Avian Systematics*.
- {{GBIF
- Cuvier, Georges. (1816). "Le Règne animal distribué d'après son organisation : pour servir de base a l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction a l'anatomie comparée". Déterville.
- (1962). "Check-list of birds of the world". Museum of Comparative Zoology.
- Jobling, J.A.. (2018). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Lynx Edicions.
- (2017). "Phylogenetic relationships of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae): A first robust phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
- Wolters, H.E.. (1970). "On the generic classification of the weaver-birds of the Malimbus-Ploceus group". Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society.
- (2010). "Handbook of the Birds of the World". Lynx Edicions.
- AviList Core Team. (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025".
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