presenting the very very yellow Bertram's weaver. poorly documented and highly localized to several geographically isolated mountain regions in eastern Africa. these include the southern stretch of the Tazanian Eastern Rift Mountains, Malawi's Shire Highlands and Nyika Plateau, and the uniquely dense shrubland of the Itigi-Sumbu Thicket found in northern Zambia. their sexual dimorphism takes a rather unusual form (by my standards), as the males and females look largely alike save for the extent of the black plumage on their heads. females' faces are covered in black, whereas males bear only an eye mask and a spot on the back of their head. i find this amusingly similar to human male-pattern baldness.
fairly sedentary birds, and capable of inhabiting a wide range of habitats, including forests, savannah, grassland, scrub, riversides, and farms. consumes insects and nectar, and likes to have company while foraging, often found in pairs or small groups. reportedly, they nest solitarily and maintain monogamous pairings for at least one nesting cycle, if not more. during nest construction, their chosen medium is broad-leaved grasses, which are woven into a ball by the pair and usually placed on the tip of a tree branch.
1 July 2026
