Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) lives in grasslands savannah across Sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on grains and seeds. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Red-billed Quelea
- A single flock can swallow a whole field of grain faster than a tractor can harvest it, because the red-billed quelea feeds in rolling clouds of millions that sweep across the savanna. The species is regarded as the most numerous undomesticated bird on earth, with the total post-breeding population sometimes peaking at an estimated 1.5 billion individuals. It feeds primarily on seeds of annual grasses, but also causes extensive damage to cereal crops. When food runs out, the species moves to locations of recent rainfall and plentiful grass seed; hence it exploits its food source very efficiently. This massive, nomadic appetite makes the quelea a critical driver of grass-seed dynamics and a major agricultural pest across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Red-billed queleas can build colonies so dense they rival a city's skyline: up to 30 000 nests per hectare have been recorded, and a single tree can hold more than 6 000 nests. Colonies can stretch 20 km long and 1 km wide, with millions of individual nests woven from about 600-700 fresh grass strips each.
- A red-billed quelea can travel 50-65 km (31-40 mi) each day while foraging, then return to its roost by nightfall. The birds need 300-800 mm (12-31 in) of rain to trigger breeding, and they begin nest building four to nine weeks after the first rains.
- Despite weighing only 15-26 g (0.53-0.92 oz), a red-billed quelea's cone-shaped bill allows a male to finish a nest in about two days. The nest is a compact oval ball roughly 18 cm (7 in) high and 16 cm (6 in) wide, with a 2.5 cm (1 in) entrance, built from around 600-700 fresh grass strips.
- Red-billed queleas avoid forests, deserts and high altitudes, preferring semi-arid thornbush grasslands below 1 500 m (4 900 ft), yet they can be found as high as 3 000 m (9 800 ft) when conditions allow. They need water daily and stay within about 30 km (19 mi) of a water source, linking their distribution tightly to rivers and lakes. This habitat specificity means that changes in water availability, whether from drought or dam construction, can instantly reshape quelea movements and colony locations, making them sensitive indicators of freshwater ecosystem health.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSub-Saharan Africa
HabitatGrasslands savannah
DietGrains and seeds
About the Red-billed Quelea
As the sun rises over the savannah, a tapestry of crimson and brown unfolds, as the Red-billed Quelea takes to the skies, its flock a mesmerizing whirlwind of movement, with individuals darting and weaving in a dazzling display of aerial agility. With their distinctive red bills and subtle sheen to their plumage, these birds are a testament to the beauty of adaptation, their nomadic lifestyle a perpetual pursuit of the lush grasses and seeds that sustain them. In their great murmurations, the Red-billed Quelea embodies the very essence of wildness, a force both restless and resplendent.
Hear the Red-billed Quelea, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
