Frontispiece The black-faced dioch or red-billed weaver (Quelea quelea) is a seri- ous pest to small-grain farmers in Africa. It has the distinction of being the most numerous and perhaps the most destructive bird in the world. It is known to adversely affect the agricultural economies of between twenty and twenty-five nations by its depredations of cereal crops such as millet, sorghum, wheat, and rice.