White-browed sparrow-weaver

Plocepasser mahali

The White-browed sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali) is a bird found in South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Dry thornveld across southern Africa. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Plocepasser mahali
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe

🏡 Where the White-browed sparrow-weaver lives

Dry thornveld across southern Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs50%
🌰 Seeds & nuts50%

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.

💡 Groups build many untidy grass nests in the same tree.

Hear the White-browed sparrow-weaver

Recorded by Filippo Ceccolini (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1037318. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the White-browed sparrow-weaver

Where does the White-browed sparrow-weaver live?

The White-browed sparrow-weaver lives in South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Dry thornveld across southern Africa.

What does the White-browed sparrow-weaver eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), seeds and nuts (about 50%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the White-browed sparrow-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.