First recorded breeding of Clarke’s Weaver Ploceus golandi

Abstract

The breeding site and nest of the Kenyan-endemic Clarke’s Weaver had remained a mystery for 100 years. The species was described in 1913 from the north Kenya Coast, but the first breeding colony was found in March 2013 in the northern section of the Dakatcha Woodlands, northwest of Malindi. An estimated 400–500 nests were concentrated in a small area of a tiny wetland. Adults were displaying and nest-building on 23 March, and when next visited on 7 April, adults were feeding young in the nest. Nests were coarsely woven with a low side entrance, placed in the tops of tall sedges, standing in water. Both males and females contributed to nest building and to feeding the young on insects, and breeding appeared to be closely synchronized, so that by 19 April the colony had been abandoned.