Olive-naped weaver explained

The olive-naped weaver (Ploceus brachypterus) is a bird species in the family Ploceidae. It is found in West Africa from Senegal and Gambia to Cameroon.

Taxonomy

The olive-naped weaver was formally described and illustrated in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson. He did not specify the origin of his specimens but they probably came from Senegal. He placed the species in the genus Ploceus and coined the binomial name Ploceus brachypterus.^{[1] [2]} The specific epithet is from Ancient Greek brakhupteros meaning "short-winged".^[3]

The olive-naped weaver was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the black-necked weaver (Ploceus nigricollis).^[4] The two species differ in plumage and in the colour of the iris,^[5] but a molecular study published in 2019 found that they are genetically very similar.^[6]

Notes and References

1. Book: Swainson, William John . William John Swainson . 1837 . The Natural History of the Birds of Western Africa . 1 . Edinburgh . W.H. Lizars . 168; Plate 10 .
2. Book: Mayr . Ernst . Ernst Mayr . Greenway . James C. Jr . 1962 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 15 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 38 .
3. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 76 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . January 2023 . Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers . IOC World Bird List Version 13.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 7 February 2023 .
5. Kirwan . G.M. . Craig . A.J.F. . del Hoyo . J. . Collar . N. . 2022 . Olive-naped Weaver (Ploceus brachypterus), version 1.0 . Billerman . S.M. . Sly . N.D. . Birds of the World . Ithaca, NY, USA . Cornell Lab of Ornithology . 10.2173/bow.bknwea1.01 .
6. De Silva . T.N. . Peterson . A.T. . Perktas . U. . 2019 . An extensive molecular phylogeny of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae) unveils broad nonmonophyly of traditional genera and new relationships . The Auk . 136 . ukz041 . 10.1093/auk/ukz041 .