Sounds and Vocal Behavior

The Scaly Weaver may be quiet at times, but often small groups keep in touch with their pleasant contact call, especially in flight when moving between shrubs or trees.

Development

Information needed.

Vocal Array

Song

In the apparent advertisement song, a male will sit on top of a tree keeping up a feeble and unmusical: skrrip-skrip-skree–tip–skrrip-skra–tip–skrrip, etc...., which is repeated for several minutes at times (64 Skead, C. J. (1995). Life-history notes on East Cape bird species (1940–1990). Volume 1. Algoa Regional Services Council, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Close ). The song is also described as being "a rather harsher note," delivered while the male bobs his head (65 Harwin, R. M. (1989). Scaly-feathered Finch Sporopipes squamifrons. In The Complete Book of Southern African Birds (P. J. Ginn, W. G. McIlleron and P. le S. Milstein, Editors), Struik Winchester, Cape Town, South Africa. p. 653. Close ), and a repetitive 2-note kreep-crop - kreep-crop - kreep-crop (3 Craig, A. J. F. K. (2010). Family Ploceidae (weavers). In Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 15: Weavers to New World Warblers (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, and D. A. Christie, Editors), Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. pp. 74–197. Close ). The female solicits copulation with a high-pitched zi-zi-zi (1 Craig, A. J. F. K. (2004). Ploceus olivaceiceps (Reichenow). Olive-headed Weaver. In The Birds of Africa. Vol. VII. (C. F. Fry and S. Keith, Editors), Christopher Helm, London, United Kingdom. pp. 189–191. Close ).

Calls

The contact call is a pleasant ching-ching-ching in flight; in flocks, this sounds like a chattering chirri-chirri-chirri [ ] (2 Dean, W. R. J. (2005). Scaly-feathered Finch Sporopipes squamifrons. In Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. 7th edition (P. A. R. Hockey, W. R. J. Dean and P. G. Ryan, Editors), Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. pp. 1005–1006. Close ). The calls are also described as sibilant, tripping strip-trip-trip-stripstrip-trip-sstrip-sstrip-sstripsstrip [ ], a wispy ssirrip or ssip-ssip [ ], sometimes with slightly nasal tone sstrink, or sseng-sseng-sseng-sirrip, and a husky shayng-shayng (2 Dean, W. R. J. (2005). Scaly-feathered Finch Sporopipes squamifrons. In Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. 7th edition (P. A. R. Hockey, W. R. J. Dean and P. G. Ryan, Editors), Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. pp. 1005–1006. Close ). When groups are calling in an area, they give a general impression of an almost continuous series of husky, jerky churrings from one or other of the birds in the party (64 Skead, C. J. (1995). Life-history notes on East Cape bird species (1940–1990). Volume 1. Algoa Regional Services Council, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Close ).

Geographic Variation

There is no known geographic variation in the vocalizations of the species.

Phenology

Information needed.

Daily Pattern of Vocalizing

Information needed.

Places of Vocalizing

Song is typically delivered from an elevated perch, such as a tree, a pole, or a fence, while contact calls are given from a perch, on the ground, or in flight.

Sex Differences

There are no known differences in the vocalizations of the sexes.

Repertoire and Delivery of Songs

Information needed.

Social Context and Presumed Functions of Vocalizations

Information needed, but small groups reportedly keep in touch via contact calls, especially in flight when moving between shrubs or trees.

There are no nonvocal sounds known for the Scaly Weaver.