During April 2021 there has been a minor influx of Red-billed Quelea on the Cape Peninsula and other areas. Previously, in April and May 2007 (exactly 14 years ago), there was an invasion of Red-billed Queleas in the Western Cape province, particularly on the Cape Peninsula and Overberg region.
The first record was reported from a garden in Stanford on 4 April 2021. Altogether 6 records came from the Overberg area, between Betty’s Bay and Stanford.
13 records came from the Cape Peninsula, with the first record on 8 April in Kommetjie and most Peninsula records were from the Kommetjie area. There was also a record from a garden in Monte Vista, and another in Sybrand Park. In the latter garden a male quelea in full breeding plumage was present at a feeder for 5 days, and being joined by at least 5 other individuals by 14 April, before they all disappeared (Birdpix). Some records came from Scarborough and Cape Point.
These records suggest that the quelea fly as far south as they can, a pattern also seen in the 2007 irruption. See the 2021 records listed at rarities. More records are to be expected over the next few weeks – keep reporting sightings!
2007 irruption – summary of paper
The Red-billed Quelea has been steadily expanding its range into the Western Cape province. The earliest record is of a vagrant in 1946. The next record came from 1986 in the Karoo and since 1997 there have been annual reports of the species in the province. It has become resident in the Karoo, especially in the Beaufort West to Leeu Gamka area. In April and May 2007 there was a large invasion of Red-billed Queleas in the Western Cape province. Sixty-eight percent of records were within 5 km of the coast, over a stretch of 1 000 km of coastline. Adult males in breeding plumage were frequently observed, indicating that this irruption was not limited to post-juvenile dispersal. This influx was not repeated in 2008, but from April 2008 to January 2009, monthly records of queleas were higher than the combined monthly totals in years prior to the influx. The increasing occurrence of queleas in the Western Cape province is a potential threat to a major wheat-producing area and continued monitoring is required.
Oschadleus HD. 2009. An irruption of Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea in the Western Cape province, South Africa. Ostrich 80:193-196 (list of more papers here).
