Migration orientation behaviour of the red-billed quelea Quelea quelea

Migration patterns in the red-billed quelea Quelea quelea have been the focus of intense research as the species is a major crop pest in Africa. The direction and timing of migration are believed to be controlled by the seasonal passage of rainfronts across Africa. In order to assess the validity of hypothesised migration directions in southern Africa, we tested the migration orientation behaviour of wild-caught red-billed queleas using Emlen orientation funnels. Queleas tested in Zimbabwe showed mean orientation directions to the west-north-west and east-south-east. Both directions are in agreement with current hypotheses explaining quelea migration.