Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius)
About the Sociable Weaver
The sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) is a species of bird in the weaver family, endemic to Southern Africa. It is the only species in its genus Philetairus. It is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, but its range is centered within the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The species builds large, compound, community nests, a rarity among birds. These nests are perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird. The sociable weaver was first described by ornithologist John Latham in 1790. Alternative names include the common social weaver, common social-weaver, and social weaver. Formerly, four subspecies were recognised, but the species is now considered monotypic. The sociable weaver is the only extant species in the genus Philetairus.
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We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 32 recordings for this species: 7 CC BY-NC-SA · 3 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Namibia, South Africa in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Other birds you can hear here
- African CuckooCuculus gularisrecording
- African HoopoeUpupa africanarecording
- African Pied WagtailMotacilla aguimprecording
- African Reed WarblerAcrocephalus baeticatusrecording
- Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melbarecording
- Barn SwallowHirundo rusticarecording
These are the birds recorded alongside it, not close relatives — the site holds no other member of its genus or family yet.