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quelea

American

[kwee-lee-uh] / ˈkwi li ə /

noun

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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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 • Feb. 12, 2023

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

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2023

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 • Feb. 12, 2023

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 • Feb. 12, 2023

The boys killed several quelea birds, which was all right.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023