Red-billed Quelea

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Quelea quelea

Some of the most impressive sights of our recent visit to the Satara area of the Kruger National Park was the enormous flocks of Red-billed Quelea occupying the grasslands of the central plains. Following the good rains that bought respite from an awful drought, the savannas are heavy with a rich harvest of seeding grasses, and literally millions of the little birds are making the most of the abundant foodsource. When their population reaches a peak, as it currently has, there could be as many as 33-million Red-billed Queleas swirling in cloudy swarms over the Park!

Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017
Red-billed Queleas at Satara in April 2017

The Red-billed Quelea is a small (20g) seed-eating sparrow-like nomad inhabiting grasslands and grainfields (causing enormous losses to farming communities). Swarms that could number in the millions descend on watering holes at least twice daily. While feeding they “roll” over the grasslands in a wave-like motion, most impressive to witness! While seeds make up the vast majority of their diet they do catch small insects as well, especially when raising chicks.

Nesting occurs communally in the rainy months and hundreds, even thousands, of nests are woven per tree (prefers thorn trees) by the males. Breeding colonies could consist of more than 2 million monogamous pairs, and is a magnet for every imaginable predatory bird, reptile and mammal that is large enough to take adults and chicks. Clutches normally number three eggs and the female incubates them for only 12 days, whereafter the chicks fledge within another two weeks!

The Red-billed Quelea may well be the most abundant bird on the planet, with an estimated population as large as ten billion, and as such is considered as being of least concern by the IUCN. It occurs widely in the savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa and can be found in every one of South Africa’s provinces, where it must number in the hundreds of millions.

(The photos in the following gallery were taken on visits to the Kruger Park and elsewhere)

Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Quelea female
Female Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea female
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea pair
Red-billed Quelea female
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Queleas
Flock of Red-billed Queleas
Flock of Red-billed Queleas
Flock of Red-billed Queleas
Flock of Red-billed Queleas
Flock of Red-billed Queleas
Red-billed Quelea (photo by Joubert)
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Quelea
Red-billed Queleas

30 thoughts on “Red-billed Quelea”

  3. Pingback: Camping fest at Satara | de Wets Wild

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thanks Kim! We visited uMkhuze Game Reserve in March and it was a lush paradise, with Nsumo Pan as full as we’ve ever seen it, so it seems that the north of the province did get some good rains. Of course this will be of little help for the metropolitan areas of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and all those resorts along the coast. We’ll hold thumbs that you’ll get some more rain before winter arrives in full force.

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  14. perdebytjie

    Sjoe dis besonders,Dries!Verlede winter toe ons deur Botswana gery het,was daar wolk op wolk van hierdie voëltjies!Die wonderlikste is dat hulle nooit bots as hulle so heen en weer swiep nie.Pragtige foto’s!

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