{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{speciesbox |image = Quelea cardinalis - Cardinal Quelea.jpg |status = LC |status_system = IUCN3.1 |status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Quelea cardinalis'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T22719120A132125511 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22719120A132125511.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref> |genus = Quelea |species = cardinalis |authority = (Hartlaub, 1880) |synonyms = }}
The '''cardinal quelea''' ('''''Quelea cardinalis''''') is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
== Description == The cardinal quelea is a small (about {{convert|10|cm|disp=or}} long) sparrow-like bird with a short heavy black bill, that breeds in colonies. The male in breeding plumage has a red head extending onto the breast but not onto the streaked nape. The female has a yellowish face, brow stripes and throat. The non-breeding plumage of the male resembles that of the female, but retains some red on its head.<ref name=WGvP>{{cite web|website= Werkgroep voor Ploceidae|title= Kardinaalwever Quelea cardinalis|language= nl|url= http://www.ploceidae.eu/index.php/wevers/overigen-ploceidae/kardinaalwever-quelea-cardinalis|access-date= 2017-05-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= The Larger Illustrated Guide to Birds of Southern Africa|editor1= Ian Sinclair|editor2= P.A.R. Hockey|publisher= Struik|year= 2005|isbn= 978-1-77007-243-5|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jZTl2rn9uTYC|access-date= 2017-05-17}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
== Taxonomy == Gustav Hartlaub was the first to describe the cardinal quelea, giving it the scientific name ''Hyphantica cardinalis'' in 1880, based on specimens that were collected by Emin Pasha near Lado in South-Sudan during 1879.<ref>{{cite journal|website= Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive|title= Cardinal Quelea|doi= 10.2173/bow.carque1.01|url= http://www.hbw.com/species/cardinal-quelea-quelea-cardinalis|access-date= 2017-05-05}}</ref><ref name=WW>{{cite web|website= Weaver Watch|title= Cardinal Quelea|url= http://weavers.adu.org.za/sp.php?spp=807|access-date= 2017-05-05}}</ref> In 1951, Hans von Boetticher regarded the cardinal quelea and red-headed quelea sufficiently different from the red-billed quelea to create a new genus ''Queleopsis''.<ref>{{cite web|website= The Taxonomicon|title= Scientific name: Queleopsis|url= http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl/TaxonList.aspx?subject=Entity&by=ScientificName&search=Queleopsis|access-date= 2017-05-05}}</ref> Its name in Swahili is ''kwelea kidari-chekundu''.<ref>{{cite web|website= Avibase|title= Kardinaalwever Quelea cardinalis|url= https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=9387DC41F926CF7B|access-date= 2017-05-05}}</ref>
=== Phylogeny === Based on recent DNA-analysis, the red-headed quelea forms a clade with the cardinal quelea, and this clade is sister to the red-billed quelea ''Q. quelea''. The genus ''Quelea'' belongs to the group of true weavers (subfamily Ploceinae), and is most related to ''Foudia'', a genus of six or seven species that occur on the islands of the western Indian Ocean. This clade is sister to the Asian species of the genus ''Ploceus''. The following tree represents current insights in the relationships between the species of ''Quelea'', and their closest relatives.<ref>{{cite journal|first1= Thilina N.|last1= De Silva|first2= A. Townsend|last2= Peterson|first3= John M.|last3= Bates|first4= Sumudu W.|last4= Fernandoa|first5= Matthew G.|last5= Girard|year= 2017|title= Phylogenetic relationships of weaverbirds (Aves: Ploceidae): A first robust phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers|journal= Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume= 109|pages= 21–32|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.013|pmid= 28012957|bibcode= 2017MolPE.109...21D}}</ref> {{clade | style=font-size:100%;line-height:120% |1={{clade |1={{clade |label1=genus ''Quelea'' |1={{clade |1= ''Q. quelea'' |2={{clade |1='''''Q. cardinalis''''' |2=''Q. erythrops'' }} }} |2=genus ''Foudia'' }} |2= Asian species of the genus ''Ploceus'' }} }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Quelea_cardinalis.html Image at ADW]
{{Ploceidae}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1301031}}
cardinal quelea Category:Birds of East Africa cardinal quelea Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot