quelea

American  

[kwee-lee-uh] / ˈkwi li ə /

noun

1. any of several African weaverbirds of the genus Quelea, especially Q. quelea red-billed quelea, noted for its vast flocks that destroy grain crops.

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Etymology

Origin of quelea

1925–30; < New Latin: genus name (1850; earlier as a species name), perhaps alteration of Medieval Latin qualea quail

Example Sentences

Rose Nekesa's rice field in western Kenya has been invaded by huge swarms of the voracious red-billed quelea bird.

From BBC

The latest quelea invasion in Kisumu, amounting to some 10 million birds, has already decimated 300 acres of rice fields.

From BBC

In 2019, the Kenyan government is thought to have killed eight million quelea which had invaded the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, the country's largest rice-growing project.

From BBC

Increased cereal crop production throughout Africa may have also increased the quelea populations as there is a larger source of food for their super-nomadic populations.

From BBC

He points the finger at land-use changes as "intensive farming and settlement means that we are losing space for natural vegetation to grow. The quelea species are adapting to the current land use".

From BBC