Sparrow-weaver


The sparrow-weavers are a genus of birds in the family Ploceidae, but some taxonomic authorities place them in the family Passeridae.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Plocepasser contains the following species:
ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Plocepasser mahaliWhite-browed sparrow-weavernorthern South Africa, its range includes Botswana, northern and central Namibia, and western Zimbabwe
Plocepasser superciliosusChestnut-crowned sparrow-weaverBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Plocepasser donaldsoniDonaldson Smith's sparrow-weaverEthiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
Plocepasser rufoscapulatusChestnut-backed sparrow-weaverAngola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Zambia.

Phylogeny

Based on recent DNA-analysis, the genus Plocepasser belongs to the group of sparrow weavers, and is most related to the clade that consists of Philetairus socius and the genus Pseudonigrita. This clade is sister to the most basic genus of the subfamily, Sporopipes. Provided that genera are correct clades, the following tree expresses current insights.