Red Billed Quelea

Scientific Name: Quelea quelea

Origin: Africa

This species is a very suitable weaver for novice fanciers. If several pairs are kept, Budgerigars, Cut-throat Finches or Zebra Finches make suitable companions. Dime single pair is safe with smaller finches if the accommodation is fairly large.

Description:

Size: 15 to 13 cm (4 to 5 in)

Body: golden-brown with dark brown markings. Face: chocolate brown. Beak: red. There is a red rim around the eye. Legs: pinky-brown. The plumage of the cock bird turns dull after the breeding season.

Has a pale yellow beak.

Diet: (Seedeater)

Mixed millets, spray millet and plenty of insect food and half-ripened grain, such as grass seed, form the basic diet. Grit and cuttlefish bone must always he available. This hardy bird can be kept in an outside flight all year round. However, ensure that the bird roosts in a shelter when molting from nuptial plumage.

Breeding:

This bird is particularly difficult to breed. However, the cock is a very keen nest builder and is normally assisted by his mate. A ball-shaped nest is constructed with all entrance at one side. Fresh grass is the preferred nest material, so grass clippings should be provided. Pairs often build one nest, destroy it and then rebuild a new one right next to the first. This weaver is a colony nester, so several pairs of birds may be kept to encourage breeding attempts. Despite the fact that pairs build plenty of nests, very few reports exist of successful captive breeding, so this bird presents a challenge to the keen fancier. Fighting is not likely unless the aviary is very small.

Red Billed Quelea Information

• Red Billed Quelea belongs to one of world’s largest bird species.
• Its natural habitat is mainly the sub-Saharan African along the fringes of the forests. '
• The birds can be seen throughout the year and can be easily distinguished because of the large size of the flock. They can also be easily identified because of the typical rolling movement of the birds while devouring grass seeds on the ground.
• The bird prefers to live in areas like woodlands and open grasslands at an altitude not more than 2000meters. During the breeding season the bird may only specifically be seen in spiky or thorny vegetation of altitude not more than 1000 meters above sea level. The birds mainly breed in the areas like Acacia savannas of Botswana and lowland regions of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
• The birds mainly feed on the grasses of the savannas and drink a considerable quantity of water, at least two times a day. Due to high intake of water the birds are not seen in the arid regions of Africa.
• The birds generally travel a long distance from their roosting place to their source of food and water.
• One of the most notable facts related to the bird is that during the breeding season they generally reside in a small locality in tens or thousands and some times even millions of pairs. They generally are found in places that have considerable amount of rainfall.