Kloof Conservancy BioGuide - Thick-billed WeaverWingspan 10cmMass 60gramThe male has a black bill, white forehead and conspicuous white patches in its wings; the rest of its plumage varies racially, from chestnut to black.The sexes are dissimilar, and the female has a yellow bill, brown upperparts, and underparts white heavily striped with sepia.It mainly eats fruit and seeds, doing most of its foraging in the forest canopy and on the ground, occasionally hawking termites aerially.The nest is built solely by the male in about 2-12 days, first constructing a cup (unlike other weavers such as Ploceus) over which a dome is woven, forming an oval-shaped structure with a side entrance. It is usually made of woven material, usually Bulrush (Typha capensis) leaves, and once completed and approved by the female she lines the interior with finer material. It is typically suspended between at least two upright stems of Bulrush, reeds (Phragmites) or Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus).Egg-laying season is from November-April.The chicks are fed solely by the female on a diet of soft larvae, insects and fruit pulp, leaving the nest after about 19-22 days.Occurs in patches of West and East Africa, extending south through Tanzania and northern DRC to Zambia, Angola and southern Africa.In Southern Africa it is locally common in northern Botswana, Caprivi Strip (Namibia), Zimbabwe's eastern highlands, central and southern Mozambique and north-eastern and south-eastern South Africa.In the breeding season it generally favours marshes, rivers, dams with rank grass, reedbeds and Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) beds, but in the non-breeding season it prefers edges and clearings in evergreen forest, also occupying reed-beds adjacent to ponds in suburban parks, alien plantations and cultivated areas.It is hunted by the African Goshawk.The Thick-billed weavers have returned and thrived in Memorial Park since the wetlands were rehabilitated in the late 2000’s.Sometimes the male builds it in a tree adjacent to marshes, but it is always rejected by the female.The Thick-billed Weaver is in a monotypic genus (only one species in the genus), namely Amblyospiza, this name meaning "blunt, finch", referring to its amazingly heavy bill.Robert's 7th editionIhlokohlokoUbubanzi bamphiko 10cmIsisindo 60gramUkuphila AyaziwaUmumo Ngokongiwa LincaneElesilisa linomlomo omnyama, ibunzi elimhlophe kanye nomkhangu omhlophe osobala ezimpikweni zalo, ezinye izimpaphe zinhlobonhlobo, kusuka kokunsundu ngokubomvu kuya kwezimnyama.Ubulili buhlukene, kanti elesifazane linomlomo ophuzi, nokunsundu engxenyeni engenhla, kanti engxenyeni engaphansi linomthende obanzi omhlophe nokunsundu ngokumdaka.Lenyoni ivame ukubonakala emshungwini omncane womndeni wazo noma kushaqa elikhulu.Zidla kakhulu izithelo nembewu, zalukela kakhudlwana emiphemeni yamahlathi kanye nasemhlabathini, kwesinye isikhathi umuhlwa othilazayo okomoya.Isidleke sakhiwa elesilisa kuphela ezinsukwini ezingu 2-12, okokuqala zihlanganisa inkomishi (okungafani namanye amahlokohloko anjenge Ploceus) phezu kwesiqongo esilukiwe, sakhe-ke sibe makhophelana nomngenelo eceleni. Sijwayele ukwakhiwa ngokulukiwe, ngemvama ikhwani (typha Capensis) amaqabunga, uma sekuqediwe saqinisekiswa elesimame libeka utshani obuthambile ngaphakathi. Sisilengisa okungenani phakathi kweziqu ezimbili zekhwani, umhlanga (Phragmites) noma Papyrus (Cyperus Papyrus).Ukufukamela amaqanga kusuka ku-lwezi kuya ku-Mbasa.Lifukamela amaqanda angu 2-4, achanyiselwa elesimame cishe izinsuku ezingu 14-16.Amazinyane ondliwa elesimame ukudla kwezinungu ezithambile, izilokazane kanye nomthumbu wezithelo, zishiya isidleke emva kwezinsuku ezingama 19-22.Zivela kuziziba zase Ntshona neMpumalanga yeAfrika, kuze kwandele naseNingizimu yeTanzania naseNyakatho yeDRC kuya eZambia, Angola naseNingizimu neAfrika.E.Ningizimu Afrika avame ukubonakala eNyakatho yeBotswane, Caprivi Strip (Namibia), nakuzindawo eziphakene zempumalanga yeZimbabwe, maphakathi naseningizimu yeMozambique kanye nenyakatho Mpumalanga naseningizimu-nempumalanga ye-Ningizimu Afrika.Ngesikhathi sokuzalela ngokuvama ancamela amaxhaphozi, imifula, amadamu aqaqele utshani, emhlangeni kanye nakuma. Papyrus, (Cyperus papyrus) imibhede, kodwa ngezikhathi ekungesiso esokuzalela ancamela usebe nakwakhanyayo amahlathi ahlale eluhlaza, abuye ahlale kwimihlanga esondelene namachibi kumapaki asemadobheni, kuzitshalo ezahlukene nasezindaweni ezilinywayo.Zizingelwa ngama, Goshawk ase Afrika.Amahlokohloko abuya futhi akhula eMemorial Park kusukela izindawo eziswakeme zabuyiselwa emalungelweni ekupheleni kweminyaka yama 2000’s.Kwesinye isikhathi awesilisa akha ezihlahleni ezisondelene namaxhaphozi, kodwa avinjelwa awesimame njalo.Ihlokohloko uhlobo olusemshinini (inhlobo eyodwa kulenhlobo) ebizwa amblyospiza, leligama lichaza “ubuthuntu, intaka”, lixhomekeke kumlomo wayo osinda ngokumangalisayo.
