#quelea

     The Red-billed Quelea is the most numerous bird in the world. There are up to ten billion of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. That is more than the total human population (~7 billion) in the entire world, almost 50% more! 

Weavers (Ploceidae)

Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) - HBW 15, p. 139 

English: Red-billed Quelea, Afrikaans: Rooibekkwelea, català: Quelea de bec vermell, čeština: Snovač rudozobý, dansk: Blodnæbsvæver, Deutsch: Blutschnabelweber, Esperanto: Ruĝbeka teksbirdo,فارسی: سرخ‌پرک    ;نوک‌سرخ suomi: Miljoonakutoja; français: Travailleur à bec rouge; Hausa: Jan baki; magyar: Piroscsőrű szövőmadár; кырык мары: Якшар нерӓн кошыгек; Nederlands: Roodbekwever; norsk nynorsk: Blodnebbvevar; polski: Wikłacz czerwonodzioby; русский: Красноклювый ткач; svenska: Blodnäbbsvävare; தமிழ்: செவ்வலகு ஆப்பிரிக்கத் தூக்கணாங்குருவி

IOC Classification: Domain: Eukaryota • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Subphylum: Vertebrata • Infraphylum: Gnathostomata • Superclass: Tetrapoda • Class: Aves • Superorder: Neognathae • Order: Passeriformes • Suborder: Passeri • Infraorder: Passerida • Superfamily: Passeroidea • Family: Ploceidae • Genus: Quelea • Species: Quelea quelea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Subspecies and Distribution:

quelea    ( Linnaeus, 1758)  -   S Mauritania, W & N Senegal, Gambia, C Mali, N Burkina Faso, SW & S Niger, N Nigeria, N Cameroon, SC Chad and N Central African Republic.  

aethiopica    ( Sundevall, 1850)  -   W, C & E Sudan, Ethiopia and W Eritrea S to NE DRCongo, Uganda, Kenya, C & E Tanzania and NW & S Somalia.  

lathamii    ( A. Smith, 1836)  -   SW Gabon, S PRCongo, Angola (except NE and arid coastal SW), S DRCongo and R Congo mouth, Zambia, Malawi and W Mozambique S to Namibia (except coastal desert) and C, S & E South Africa.

     Red-billed Queleas are small Passerine birds 11 to 13 cm long and weigh 15 to 20 grams that are a typical size for Weavers (Ploceidae) and are seed-eating birds with rounded conical bills. They are not accomplished nest weavers so are lumped in with Buffalo Weavers. They and the other two Quelea species are not closely related to Estrildinae Finches as shown by mitochondrial cytochrome b DNA sequencing of 61 species of Estrildids. And not closely related to Old World Sparrows. Molecular phylogeny indicates that this and related species may have originated in India and dispersed to Africa and Pacific Ocean habitats.

     They live in Sub-Saharan Africa outside deep forest and outside southern South Africa. Breeding plumage in male Queleas is quite variable: comprising a facial mask which ranges from black to white in color, and breast and crown plumage which varies from yellowish to bright red. The rest of the year they look like females and fledged young, an overall cryptic beige and cream coloration.

     They live in steppe and savanna areas but also human areas, where they do crop damage. Their breeding commences with seasonal rains which vary throughout their range. The male weaves the beginning of a nest and if the female approves of it, they mate and the pair finishes the nest together. The nests of Weaver birds are the most intricate of any birds, and Buffalo Weavers, including Queleas, are less accomplished but still better than other birds. The female lays 2 to 4 eggs in the nest. The eggs are incubated about 10 days before they hatch.

     Both parents feed the brood insects and larvae, a diet that ensures a rich supply of protein and vitamins for the fast-developing young. The Red-billed Quelea has one of the shortest breeding cycles of any bird. The breeding cycle takes about seven weeks: nest construction and egg laying overlap and are completed in six days; incubation lasts 9 to 10 days; the nestling period takes 11 to 13 days; chicks fledge at age 16 days and start self-feeding at 19 days, and are independent fledglings about a day or two later.

     The Red-billed Quelea is on the IUCN Red List as Least Concern (LC) because it meets none of the criteria for declining range or scarcity or declining numbers. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is described as possibly the most abundant bird in the world.

     The food of the Red-billed Quelea consists of annual grasses, seeds and grain. The species is a serious agricultural pest, damaging millions of kilograms of cereal grains each year in Africa. Since flocks of hundreds of thousands up to several million are common, when a flock descends on your field of grain it can, and often does, destroy it.

     Due to the large numbers and localized devastation of cereal crops, control actions have been undertaken. Although millions are killed every year, this has no lasting effect because a new flock will come to the area soon. Meanwhile, non-target birds are also killed and this may have caused severe population declines.

     The birds are targeted after dark when they are in huge communal roosts. The killed birds are said to be used to feed animals though some people believe they could be used for human food. One problem is that often the birds are sprayed with chemicals to kill them and so cannot be used as food.

Videos

      1.  Group of Red-billed Queleas together drinking at a pond

      2.  A flock of Queleas swarming near a small dam

Sound file

Large flock at Grootvlei at 9:50am

Other pictures

1.    Quelea quelea at the Warsaw Zoo in Poland

2.    A group of Red-billed Queleas

3.    Red-billed Queleas and Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

4.    Red-billed Quelea flocking at water hole 

5.    Male Red-billed Quelea building a nest

6.    A group of Weaver bird nests

7.    Natural Distribution map

8.    Cardinal Quelea (Quelea cardinalis) picture

9.    Red-headed Quelea (Quelea erythrops) picture 

10.  Quelea quelea male drawing with some parts labelled 

11.  General Weaver Bird Information

VITAL STATISTICS

Weight: 15 to 20g     Length:  11 to 13cm

Sexual Maturity:  11 to 13cm and 1 year old

Breeding Season:  Start of tropical rainy season in the area

Number of Eggs:  2 to 4  Incubation Period: 12 days     Fledging Period: 14 days

Breeding Interval: 1 year       Typical Diet:  Seeds and grains

Lifespan:  About 3 years

Info from numerous internet sources that are linked

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