This weaver was recorded along rivers in southern Ethiopia. Breeding males have black heads, red eyes, rufous chests, and yellow bellies; females and nonbreeding males are duller.
Breeding males have black heads, red eyes, rufous chests, and yellow backs and bellies. Females and nonbreeding males are olive-gray, with pale buff underparts.
Ethiopian accounts place it in riverside thickets, reeds, and grass in dry country; the identification account notes small flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.