About the Red-billed Quelea
The red-billed quelea (; Quelea quelea), also known as the red-billed weaver or red-billed dioch, is a small, seasonally nomadic, sparrow-like bird of the weaver family, Ploceidae, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is approximately 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighs 15 to 26 g (0.53 to 0.92 oz). It was named by Linnaeus in 1758, who considered it a bunting, but Ludwig Reichenbach assigned it in 1850 to the new genus Quelea. Three subspecies are recognised, with Q. q. quelea occurring roughly from Senegal to Chad, Q. q. aethiopica from Sudan to Somalia and Tanzania, and Q. q. lathamii from Gabon to Mozambique and South Africa. Non-breeding birds have light underparts, striped brown upper parts, yellow-edged flight feathers and a reddish bill. Breeding females attain a yellowish bill.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Quelea quelea
- Family
- Weavers and Allies
- Order
- Passeriformes
Similar species
Other members of the weavers and allies family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Black-headed Weaver Ploceus melanocephalus
- Black-winged Bishop Euplectes hordeaceus
- Golden Palm Weaver Ploceus bojeri
- Northern Red Bishop Euplectes franciscanus
- Red Fody Foudia madagascariensis
- Red-collared Widowbird Euplectes ardens
- Southern Masked-Weaver Ploceus velatus
- Southern Red Bishop Euplectes orix
- Taveta Golden-Weaver Ploceus castaneiceps
- Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus
- Vitelline Masked-Weaver Ploceus vitellinus
- White-winged Widowbird Euplectes albonotatus
Know when the Red-billed Quelea turns up near you
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Optics
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