THE redbilled quelea is a locally abundant species except in most of the Cape south of the Orange River.
These quelea are highly nomadic with numbers varying in time and place, often in the southern part of the range.
They seasonally reach plague proportions in croplands and savanna, with flocks that number from thousands to millions of birds. The flocks are densely packed and highly synchronised in flight, which is fast and dashing. They look like smoke clouds from a distance.
WATCH: Red-billed Queleas “chasing” Elephants away from a waterhole
Queleas forage on the ground, often scratching for seeds by jumping backwards with both feet. Vast swarms assemble to drink at waterholes, sometimes breaking branches with their sheer weight.
The bird’s voice is usually silent away from the breeding colony. Inside the colony, there is a metallic chattering and mixed song, with wheezy ‘tssssrreeee’ and ‘chee chee’ notes.
LISTEN:
Breeding season is from November to April. Two to four pale greenish eggs are laid in a small, rounded and thin-walled nest woven from thin strips of grass.
Incubation lasts nine to 12 days and nestlings for 11 to 13 days. The African tribes call them enzunge and in Afrikaans, they are known as rooibekkwelea.
