Spectacled weaver

Ploceus ocularis

The Spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Woods and gardens across eastern and southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and fruit. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Ploceus ocularis
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe

🏡 Where the Spectacled weaver lives

Woods and gardens across eastern and southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs60%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
🍎 Fruit10%
🌰 Seeds & nuts10%
🌿 Leaves & plants10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It has a dark "mask" with a pale eye, like spectacles.

Hear the Spectacled weaver

Recorded by Lynette Rudman (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC659740. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Spectacled weaver

Where does the Spectacled weaver live?

The Spectacled weaver lives in South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe. Woods and gardens across eastern and southern Africa.

What does the Spectacled weaver eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 60%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%), fruit (about 10%), seeds and nuts (about 10%), leaves and other plant parts (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Spectacled weaver endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.