Grosbeak Weaver

Amblyospiza albifrons

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
FamilyPloceidae (Weavers and Allies)
GenusAmblyospiza (Grosbeak Weavers)
SpeciesAmblyospiza albifrons (Grosbeak Weaver)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Amboseli National Park

3 Verified sightings at Amboseli National Park From 2019 to 2026

3,327 Verified sightings across all 38 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Grosbeak Weaver

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. The generic name Amblyospiza was coined by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1850 and means "blunt, finch", referencing the very large bill, while the specific name albifrons refers white forehead of the males. The thick-billed weaver was formally described as Pyrrhula albifrons in 1831 by the Irish zoologist and politician Nicholas Aylward Vigors from the collection of Henry Ellis, the specimens of which were attributed to Algoa Bay and environs in the Eastern Cape.

Ten subspecies are currently recognized: A. a. capitalba (Bonaparte, 1850) – discontinuously from... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Amboseli National Park

Dinemellia dinemelli

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Ploceus castaneiceps

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Quelea quelea

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Bubalornis niger

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Euplectes axillaris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

Ploceus intermedius

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Euplectes afer

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ploceus rubiginosus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ploceus spekei

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ploceus nigricollis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Ploceus vitellinus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Euplectes albonotatus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Kibale National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~30%
2	Semuliki National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~30%
3	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	~30%
4	Arusha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~20%
5	Nairobi National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
6	Lake Manyara National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
7	Mkomazi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
8	Akagera National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	~10%
9	Queen Elizabeth National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	~10%
10	Lake Nakuru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
11	Ngorongoro Conservation Area	🇹🇿 Tanzania	~10%
12	Meru National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	~10%
13	Lake Mburo National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
14	Tsavo East National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
15	Kruger National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
16	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
17	Murchison Falls National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
18	Pilanesberg National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
19	Virunga National Park	🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo	<5%
20	Tsavo West National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
21	Ruaha National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
22	Bwindi Impenetrable National Park	🇺🇬 Uganda	<5%
23	Addo Elephant National Park	🇿🇦 South Africa	<5%
24	Chobe National Park	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
25	Aberdare National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
26	Volcanoes National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
27	Masai Mara National Reserve	🇰🇪 Kenya	<5%
28	Nyungwe National Park	🇷🇼 Rwanda	<5%
29	Tarangire National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
30	Moremi Game Reserve	🇧🇼 Botswana	<5%
31	Serengeti National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	<5%
32	Selous Game Reserve	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
33	Gorongosa National Park	🇲🇿 Mozambique	Insufficient data
34	Gonarezhou National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
35	Hwange National Park	🇿🇼 Zimbabwe	Insufficient data
36	Bale Mountains National Park	🇪🇹 Ethiopia	Insufficient data
37	Mikumi National Park	🇹🇿 Tanzania	Insufficient data
38	Amboseli National Park	🇰🇪 Kenya	Insufficient data

← Back to Amboseli National Park

Grosbeak Weaver

About the Grosbeak Weaver

Recent sightings of Grosbeak Weaver in Amboseli National Park

Closest Relatives at Amboseli National Park

White-headed Buffalo-Weaver

Taveta Golden-Weaver

Red-billed Quelea

Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver

Fan-tailed Widowbird

Lesser Masked-Weaver

Yellow-crowned Bishop

Chestnut Weaver

Speke's Weaver

Black-necked Weaver

Vitelline Masked-Weaver

White-winged Widowbird

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found