Red-billed Quelea

The Red-billed Quelea is a small, gregarious weaverbird, widely regarded as the most numerous wild bird species on Earth by total population.

Appearance

• Breeding male: pinkish-red bill, buffy-brown streaked body, and a variable facial pattern that can show either a black mask or a white face, sometimes with a pinkish or yellow wash on the crown and throat
• Breeding female and non-breeding birds: duller streaky brown, sparrow-like plumage with a paler, often reddish or dusky bill
• Compact, short-tailed build typical of small weavers

Plumage variation in breeding males, particularly the black versus pale face pattern, occurs even within the same population.

Key field marks

• Small size and sparrow-like shape with a stout conical bill
• Breeding male's reddish bill and variable black or pale facial mask
• Enormous, densely packed flocks are themselves a strong identification clue

Similar species

• Female and non-breeding Red-billed Queleas closely resemble female weavers and some sparrows; bill shape and color, along with flocking behavior, help separate them.
• Bishops (Euplectes species) in breeding plumage show more extensive red or orange coloring and different flight and display behavior.
• The sheer scale of Quelea flocks, often described as moving like a cloud or smoke, is distinctive and rarely matched by other African seed-eating birds.

Range

Found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal east to Ethiopia and Somalia, and south through East and southern Africa to South Africa.

Habitat

Semi-arid savanna, grassland, and cultivated land, generally near water and areas with abundant grass seed.

Movements

Highly nomadic, following rainfall patterns and seed availability, with flocks moving unpredictably across large areas of the continent.

Behavior

Extremely gregarious at all times of year, forming some of the largest flocks of any bird species, with roosting and breeding aggregations that can include millions of individuals.

Voice

A constant chattering, buzzing twitter produced by large flocks, along with sharp chirping contact calls.

Feeding

Feeds mainly on grass seeds, foraging in dense flocks that move together across grassland and farmland.

Nesting

Breeds colonially and opportunistically in response to rain, with colonies sometimes covering many hectares of thornbush or reeds; nests are small, woven grass structures, and breeding can proceed rapidly, timed to coincide with seeding grasses.