Thick-billed weaver
| Thick-billed weaver | |
|---|---|
| Nominate male in Pretoria, South Africa | |
| Female A. a. woltersi , Mozambique | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Ploceidae |
| Genus: | Amblyospiza Sundevall, 1850 |
| Species: | A. albifrons |
| Binomial name | |
| Amblyospiza albifrons (Vigors, 1831) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The thick-billed weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons), or grosbeak weaver, is a distinctive and bold species of weaver bird that is native to the Afrotropics. It belongs to the monotypic genus Amblyospiza and subfamily Amblyospizinae.
They have particularly strong mandibles, which are employed to extricate the seeds in nutlets and drupes, and their songs are comparatively unmusical and harsh. Their colonial nests are readily distinguishable from those of other weavers, due to their form and placement, and the fine strands used in their construction.
They habitually fan and flick their tails.