Red-billed quelea parasites found in queleas include "Haemoproteus" and "Plasmodium". The red-billed quelea is caught and eaten in many parts of Africa. Around Lake Chad, three traditional methods are used to catch red-billed queleas. Trappers belonging to the Hadjerai tribe use triangular hand-held nets, which are both selective and efficient. Each team of six trappers caught about twenty thousand birds each night. An estimated five to ten million queleas are trapped near N'Djamena each year, representing a market value of approximately US$37,500–75,000. Between 13 June and 21 August 1994 alone, 1.2 million queleas were caught. Birds were taken from roosts in the
Red-billed quelea Three subspecies are recognised. In the field, these are distinguished by differences in male breeding plumage. Formerly, two other subspecies have been described. "Q. quelea spoliator" was described by Phillip Clancey in 1960 on the basis of more greyish nonbreeding plumage of populations of wetter habitats of northeastern South Africa, Swaziland and southern Mozambique. However, further analysis indicated no clear distinction in plumage between it and "Q. quelea lathamii", with no evidence of genetic isolation. Hence it is not recognised as distinct. "Q. quelea intermedia", described by Anton Reichenow in 1886 from east Africa, is regarded a synonym of subspecies