Chad: Zakouma NP – Millions of Red-Billed Quellas

The star attraction is the supercolonies of red-billed queleas (often called the most numerous bird species on Earth, sometimes dubbed “feathered locusts”). At sunset or early morning, millions form breathtaking murmurations—dense, swirling clouds of birds that dip to the water for a drink before roosting in nearby acacia trees. The swirling, synchronized movement is a defense mechanism. By moving as a single, chaotic unit, they make it nearly impossible for a predator to lock onto a single bird. They nest in massive colonies. A single acacia tree in Zakouma can hold over 6,000 nests. Their breeding cycle is one of the fastest in the bird world. Eggs hatch in just 10 days, and the chicks are ready to fly within 16 days. The sound and scale are truly overwhelming and when they fly it is a never-ending cloud of birds lasting for nearly an hour or so. This should be one of the main reasons for people to visit Zakouma, it’s an absolutely surreal wildlife show! By the way, red-billed auelea is the most numerous species on earth with a global population of 1.5 billion!