First Red-billed Quelea breeding record in the winter rainfall region of South Africa

Abstract

The Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea is a serious pest of agricultural crops throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1980s, it has expanded its range into the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, South Africa, facilitated by changes in agricultural practices. This note documents the first breeding of Red-billed Quelea in the winter rainfall region of South Africa. A colony of 350–600 nests was found, with evidence of recent breeding. Red-billed Quelea numbers were low in this region, but if numbers increase in the future in the Western Cape, winter crops could be under threat.

Keywords: breeding, pest species, Red-billed Quelea, winter rainfall region