Red billed Quelea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Red-billed Quelea |
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| Flock of Red-billed Queleas | |
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Quelea
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Q. quelea
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| Quelea quelea (Linnaeus, 1758)
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The Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) is a small passerine bird. It is also known as the red-billed weaver. These birds belong to the Ploceidae family. You can find them only in Africa.
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Meet the Red-billed Quelea
The Red-billed Quelea is one of the most common bird species in the world. There are over 1.5 billion of them! Some groups, called colonies, can have as many as 30 million birds.
Amazing Migrations
These birds are great travelers. They can migrate very long distances. Some Red-billed Queleas fly as far as 2,000 kilometres (about 1,243 miles). This helps them find food and good places to live.
Living with Farmers
Sometimes, very large flocks of Red-billed Queleas can eat a lot of grain. A single flock might eat as much as 50 tons of grain in one day. This can be a big challenge for farmers in Africa. Farmers work to protect their crops from these hungry birds.
What Do They Look Like?
Red-billed Queleas are small birds. Males and females look a little different in size.
Male Queleas
Male Red-billed Queleas grow to be about 4.75 inches (12 cm) long. Their tail is about 1.75 inches (4.45 cm) long. They usually weigh around 19.47 grams (0.69 oz).
Female Queleas
Female Red-billed Queleas are a bit smaller than males. They grow to about 4.60 inches (11.68 cm) long. Their tail is about 1.70 inches (4.32 cm) long. Females typically weigh around 18.34 grams (0.65 oz).
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Red-billed Queleas have an interesting way of building their Nests and raising their young.
Building a Home
The male Red-billed Quelea is the nest builder. It takes him about seven days to finish a nest. While he is building, he will defend the nest. He gets very protective if anything comes too close!
Eggs and Chicks
Once the nest is ready, the female bird lays her eggs. She usually lays between 3 and 7 eggs. The eggs hatch in about two weeks. Even after the chicks hatch, the male continues to defend the nest to keep his family safe.
