Quelea cardinalis (Cardinal quelea) 

Kardinaalkwelea [Afrikaans]; Kardinaalwever [Dutch]; Travailleur cardinal [French]; Kardinalweber [German]; Quelea-cardinal [Portuguese]

Life > Eukaryotes > Opisthokonta > Metazoa (animals) > Bilateria > Deuterostomia > Chordata > Craniata > Vertebrata (vertebrates)  > Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates) > Teleostomi (teleost fish) > Osteichthyes (bony fish) > Class: Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish) > Stegocephalia (terrestrial vertebrates) > Tetrapoda (four-legged vertebrates) > Reptiliomorpha > Amniota > Reptilia (reptiles) > Romeriida > Diapsida > Archosauromorpha > Archosauria > Dinosauria (dinosaurs) > Saurischia > Theropoda (bipedal predatory dinosaurs) > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Aves (birds) > Order: Passeriformes > Family: Ploceidae > Genus: Quelea

Distribution and habitat

Occurs from southern Sudan and Ethiopia through Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to northern Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia. It is a vagrant to southern Africa, as it has been recorded in the Caprivi Strip, Namibia and in Kazungula, Zimbabwe, however it is possible that these two sightings were misidentified Red-headed quelea. It generally favours tall or wooded grassland on dry ground, especially in arid and semi-arid areas.

Food 

It mainly eats seeds, especially of the grasses Panicum and Setaria.

Threats

Not threatened.

References

• Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ and Ryan PG 2005. Roberts - Birds of southern Africa, VIIth ed. The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town.