Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park is a protected wonder known for its rich biodiversity, pristine wilderness, and abundant wildlife, including elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and a wide variety of bird species.
The sparrow-sized red-billed quelea is one of these species, though they stand out for being the world’s most abundant of all wild birds, reaching an estimated 1.5 billion.
eBird.org notes the voracious species has earned the name “feathered locust.”
Sound engineer and expedition leader George Vlad of Mindful Audio filmed the 2-minute video above, sharing that “these little birds might seem cute and endearing at first sight, but they tend to form nomadic super-colonies of several million.”
“When one of these gigantic flocks descends upon a field, they devour anything edible. This puts them into conflict with humans who depend on crops that the queleas like to feed on. I won’t go into the ethics of pest control, or what is defined as a pest because these are complex issues worth discussing in an article or book of their own.”
“On my expedition to Zambia earlier this year I witnessed some of these flocks of birds feeding on savanna grasses. It was truly a sight and soundscape to behold. Their movements are mesmerizing, and their sounds deafening. I had seen starling murmurations in Europe, but the queleas are on another level.”
Find more of George Vlad’s work on YouTube, Patreon, Instagram, and at Mindful-Audio.com.
Watch these handpicked swarm and bird videos next:
• Swarm Of Locusts Devour Everything In Their Path
• Australia’s budgie super swarms
• The surprising alarm-like call of the world’s loudest bird
• Starling murmuration, an enthralling five minutes in the Netherlands
• The bell-like call of the Three-Wattled Bell Bird
• The “Laughing” Kookaburra
Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.