Rediscovered After 12 Years: The Red Weaver Lives in Kenya’s Boni-Dodori Forest

Table of Contents

For twelve years, there had been no confirmed record of the red weaver (Anaplectes jubaensis). Now Kenyan ornithologists have rediscovered the rare bird species in the Boni-Dodori forest complex in eastern Kenya. On July 3, 2026, James Apolloh Omenya and Simon Odhiambo first observed three bright-red males, followed later by two females and a young male.

The discovery is considered the first confirmed record of the red weaver since 2014. The observation of the juvenile provides important evidence that this little-studied species is breeding in the Boni-Dodori Forest.

A bird with only a handful of records

The red weaver’s known range encompasses parts of southern Somalia and a small area in Kenya’s northern coastal region. The core of its range lies along the middle and lower Jubba River. The species primarily inhabits humid coastal scrub and coastal forests, particularly along rivers at low elevations.

The holotype, an adult male collected in 1912, is now held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In 1920, zoologist Victor Gurner Logan van Someren formally described the red weaver.

For more than a century, however, it was generally regarded not as a distinct species but as a subspecies of the red-headed weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps). Based on marked differences in plumage, Josep del Hoyo and Nigel J. Collar separated the two forms in 2016; other major bird checklists followed later. The Clements Checklist adopted the split in 2022, and the IOC World Bird List did so in 2023. The world’s leading international bird checklists have thus recognized the red weaver as a distinct species only in the past few years.

Knowledge about the bird is correspondingly limited. Before its rediscovery in 2026, there was probably only one known photographic record: In April 2014, John Musina photographed a single male in the Boni-Dodori Forest. More than ten years then passed without another confirmed record.

In March 2025, Search for Lost Birds therefore added the red weaver to its list of “Lost Birds.” The initiative considers a species lost if there has been no reliable record of it for at least ten years.

A targeted search in the Boni-Dodori Forest

Kenyan ornithologist and birding guide James Apolloh Omenya wanted to fill the gaps in knowledge about the red weaver. In 2026, he was one of five recipients of an Ornis Birding x Lost Birds Expedition Grant, which supports young birders searching for lost species.

The potential of such expeditions had become apparent just a few months earlier: In April 2026, other grant recipients in the Bismarck Archipelago rediscovered three lost bird species at once—the white-naped lory (Lorius albidinucha), New Ireland friarbird (Philemon eichhorni), and New Britain sparrowhawk (Tachyspiza brachyura).

Omenya’s expedition targeted two little-known birds: the red weaver and the Tana River cisticola (Cisticola restrictus), which was last recorded in 1967. The known or presumed ranges of both species lie in difficult-to-access regions of eastern Kenya near the Somali border that ornithologists and birdwatchers rarely visit.

The security situation also complicates research in the region. The expedition required several official permits, and the team was initially turned back at one checkpoint. Parts of the route had to be covered by motorcycle and boat, while armed security personnel accompanied the researchers in remote areas.

On June 30, five members of the six-person expedition team first set out from Watamu for Hindi, an important gateway to the Boni-Dodori Forest. There, local guide Mohammed Noor introduced them to Chief Jamal, who advised them on the security situation in the region.

The five had originally intended to travel together through the remote villages in the forest area. Chief Jamal advised against it, however: A larger group of outsiders would attract too much attention and would be difficult to protect with the available security personnel. The team therefore split up. Omenya and Odhiambo took on the search for the red weaver, while Victor Ikawa, James Mburu, and Paul Kaberere searched for the Tana River cisticola.

Local knowledge led to the red weaver

The knowledge of local people played an important role in the search. In the village of Basuba, residents recognized the red weaver in pictures and reported their own observations. Around ten of them even joined the search for a time and directed Omenya and Odhiambo to other places where the bird might occur.

The bird’s local name also showed that the red weaver was by no means unknown to people in the region. In Mangai, the researchers learned that the species is called Shongwe Kudhuthe—roughly meaning “the weaver that is red.”

The eleven-day expedition lasted from June 30 to July 10, 2026. On July 3, Omenya and Odhiambo were traveling from Mangai toward Mararani when three red birds suddenly flew out of a bush. They were adult male red weavers. The researchers followed the birds through the vegetation for almost two hours and were able to photograph and film them and record their calls. Two females were also present some distance away.

The red weaver exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism: In adult males, the head and body are almost entirely bright red, while females are predominantly gray-brown with pale underparts. Their red areas are mainly confined to the wings and bill.

A later review of the footage revealed that what had been thought to be a third female was actually a young male. Observing adult males and females together with a juvenile provides important evidence that red weavers are breeding in the Boni-Dodori Forest. According to Omenya, this is the first modern evidence of breeding activity by the species in this area.

The audio recordings also fill a gap in knowledge: They are the first known recordings of the red weaver’s vocalizations. They may facilitate future research because the species might be detectable by its calls in places where dense vegetation makes it difficult to observe.

Rediscovered, but still little studied

The rediscovery shows that the red weaver still occurs in the Boni-Dodori Forest in Lamu County on Kenya’s northern coast. Many fundamental questions remain unanswered, however: What is the true extent of its range? How many individuals are there? How common is the species still in southern Somalia? And which habitats does it need to breed?

The IUCN currently lists the red weaver as Least Concern (LC). Its population size is unknown, however, and almost nothing is known about its breeding biology. Its population is also suspected to be declining as a result of habitat loss and degradation. The new observations therefore provide an important basis for further research and long-term monitoring.

The case shows that a lack of records does not necessarily mean that a species has disappeared or declined sharply. Parts of the red weaver’s range lie in remote regions that are difficult to access for security reasons and rarely surveyed by ornithologists. Even a conspicuously colored bird can disappear from the scientific record there for years.

Further research is already planned. Subject to sufficient funding, Omenya and his team hope to return to Mangai and Mararani to gather more evidence of breeding. Milimani, which could not be surveyed during the expedition for security reasons, is also intended as a target for future searches. The complete field data were submitted to eBird and Kenya Bird Map; the team also plans to submit its scientific findings to the Journal of Lost Species.

The expedition also searched for the Tana River cisticola but did not find it. Search for Lost Birds has already announced another two-week expedition by Nature Kenya, during which cisticolas will be captured, measured, photographed, and studied genetically and acoustically.

---

Sources

• BirdLife International (2024). Anaplectes jubaensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T103812651A263788377. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T103812651A263788377.en
• Foster, N. (2026, August 4). FOUND: Red Weaver Rediscovered in Kenya by Ornis x Lost Birds Grant Winner. Search for Lost Birds. https://searchforlostbirds.org/news/found-red-weaver-rediscovered-in-kenya-by-ornis-x-lost-birds-grant-winner
• Kirwan, G. M., A. J. F. K. Craig, J. del Hoyo, et al. (2022). Red Weaver (Anaplectes jubaensis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman and N. D. Sly, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rehwea3.01
• Omenya, J. A. (2026, July 30). Chasing ghosts—In search of Kenya’s lost birds. Ornis Birding.
  https://www.ornis-birding.com/news/red-weaver-rediscovered-in-kenya