Sociable weaver

Sociable weaver
At Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, South Africa
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Ploceidae
Genus: Philetairus
A. Smith, 1837
Species:
P. socius
Binomial name
Philetairus socius
(Latham, 1790)
  range centred on the Kalahari, Namib and northern Karoo regions

The sociable weaver (Philetairus socius) is a species of bird in the weaver family, endemic to Southern Africa. It is the only species in its genus Philetairus. It is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, but its range is centered within the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The species builds large, compound, community nests, a rarity among birds. These nests are perhaps the most spectacular structure built by any bird.