Red-headed Quelea

Red-headed Quelea

Quelea erythrops

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Ruaha National Park
7 Verified sightings at Ruaha National Park From 2019 to 2026
193 Verified sightings across all 21 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Red-headed Quelea

The red-headed quelea (Quelea erythrops) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The red-headed quelea was collected by Carl Weiss on Sao Tome island in 1847, and after its arrival at the Hamburg Museum described for science for the first time by Gustav Hartlaub in 1848, who named it Ploceus erythrops. In 1951, Hans von Boetticher regarded the cardinal quelea and red-headed quelea sufficiently different from the red-billed quelea to create a new genus Queleopsis.

The species epithet erythrops derives from the Greek word ἐρυθρός (eruthros), meaning "red" and ὄψ (ops) meaning "eye" or "face", referring to the rufous or red face. Ludwig Reichenbach gave the species its first English name in 1863: red-headed dioch. Other... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
2 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
3 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
4 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
5 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
6 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
7 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
8 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
9 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
10 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
11 Selous Game Reserve 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
12 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
13 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
14 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
Insufficient data
15 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Insufficient data
16 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
17 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
Insufficient data
18 Gorongosa National Park 🇲🇿 Mozambique
Insufficient data
19 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
20 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
21 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Red-headed Quelea in Ruaha National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-headed Quelea sighting in Ruaha National Park, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Red-headed Quelea in Ruaha National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Red-headed Quelea in Ruaha National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Ruaha National Park