Natural enemies in the management of Red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea) in Hadejia-Nguru wetlands, Nigeria: A conservation-based review

Abstract

Rice is one of the major cereal crops in the world that has the potential to significantly contribute to the achievement of global food security. Animal pests cause about 15% of the world's rice output to be lost. The most dangerous pest birds are migratory, gregarious birds like the Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea), a nomadic pest of cereal crops that feeds in large flocks. In Nigeria's Hadejia-Nguru marshes. The aim of this review is to explore the possibility of using natural enemies to manage the population of this pest bird. A systematic literature review of journals and articles covering from 2015 to 2026 using Data bases such as PubMed, Science direct and google scholar were assessed. The keywords Conservation, control, Raptors, Quelea quelea, and wetlands, were used in literature search. Findings reveals that one of the causes of the bird's abundance is the expansion of grain production, especially rice, in the region and nearby communities. The use of the organophosphate substance Fenthion (Qualithox), which has numerous drawbacks, is one of the main methods of controlling the pest bird. The potential use of birds' natural enemies to manage the species was emphasized in this paper. The numerous uses of natural enemies, especially birds of prey, were well reviewed in the literature. The main issues include sluggish reproduction of the raptors, anthropogenic activities including hunting, habitat loss, electrocution, and secondary poisoning, which are causing the population of birds of prey to severely decline. This review proposes the use of conservation of the raptors as a strategy. This implies that it is possible to reintroduce the Queleas natural enemies, which are birds of prey. This can be accomplished by providing nesting boxes, avoiding the use of chemicals, controlling trade-offs like the use of certain birds and their parts for medicine and rituals, implementing agroforestry, massive afforestation, regulating hunting, and using wetland resources unsustainably.