The sparrow-weavers (Plocepasser) are a genus of birds in the family Ploceidae (weavers), but some taxonomic authorities place them in the family Passeridae (Old World sparrows).
The genus Plocepasser contains the following species:
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plocepasser mahali | northern South Africa, its range includes Botswana, northern and central Namibia, and western Zimbabwe | ||
| Plocepasser superciliosus | Benin, 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 donaldsoni | Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. | ||
| Plocepasser rufoscapulatus | Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Zambia. | ||
Based on recent DNA-analysis (which only included P. mahali), the genus Plocepasser belongs to the group of sparrow weavers (subfamily Plocepasserinae), 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.[1] Provided that genera are correct clades, the following tree expresses current insights.