Wildlife
Red-billed queleas are a kind of weaver bird and form flocks which can contain thousands of birds. Because seeds are a major part of their diet, these huge flocks can do considerable damage to fields of cereal crops.
Did you know?
with an adult breeding population numbering billions red-billed quelea are the world's most numerous wild bird.
Scientific name: Quelea quelea
Rank: Species
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Red-billed quelea
The world's most numerous bird forms a swarm of epic proportions.
1.5 billion of these fast-breeding birds swarm over Africa's savannah and this is the largest flock of birds ever caught on camera. Filming this spectacle from below put the cameraman in a vulnerable position and he and his equipment ended up covered in guano. The fast frame speed capability of Super16 captured the rapid movement of this intense throng.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Red-billed quelea can be found in a number of locations including: Africa. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Red-billed quelea distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Year assessed: 2009
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) is the world's most abundant wild bird species, with an estimated adult breeding population of 1.5 billion pairs. Some estimates of the overall population have been as large as 10 billion. It is a small passerine bird of the weaver family Ploceidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa.
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Desert
Flooded grassland
Mountain grassland
Tropical grassland
Migration
Camouflage
Colonial
Adapted to flying
Acoustic communication
Herbivorous
Monogamous
Moulting
Egg layer
Polymorphism
Social
Sexual dimorphism
Swarming
Visual communication