Two Endangered Parrot Species Return Home

It’s homecoming week for two species of endangered parrots, with two different flocks of birds being returned to their homelands on two different continents.

The World Parrot Trust announced Wednesday that 32 African grey parrots that had been illegally smuggled out of Africa and into Bulgaria had arrived at Uganda’s Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary after a three year saga. The birds were originally slipped out of Africa via Lebanon and then taken to Bulgaria where they were seized by customs.

The iconic African grey parrot is considered one of the most intelligent bird species, and it has been heavily over-collected because of its uncanny ability to mimic human speech. Because of heavy trapping and capture, this once common species is rated as “vulnerable” and “decreasing” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The returned African greys will now undergo a quarantine at the sanctuary. Once they clear the health checks, they will be released back into the wild.

On Tuesday, six blue-throated macaws were flown from the UK to Bolivia, which is the only country in the world where the species exists in the wild. These six birds were never smuggled or held illegally. Instead, they were legally bred at the Paradise Park Zoo in Hayle, England.

The captive-bred blue-throats will help build up the population of a species that numbers around 100 in the wild. It hasn’t yet been determined if it will be best to use them for captive-breeding more blue-throats or if they too should be released back into the wild. Lorena Kempff, the foundation’s director, said that they’re in good condition for either purpose.

The blue-throated macaw was devastated by over-collection for the pet trade in the 1970s and 80s. At one point, the species was thought to be extinct in the wild, but it was rediscovered in 1992 — only to be hard hit by smugglers again. IUCN rates the species as critically endangered because of the combination of a tiny population and a relatively small habitat in the Beni department of Bolivia.

In April 2011, I traveled to a nest site on a partly flooded cattle ranch where I saw a wild pair of blue-throated macaws that were using an artificial nest box provided by the researchers. The babies in the photograph were just days away from fledging and were removed briefly from the box so that technicians could check on their health.

I learned that as long as they’re not hunted or trapped, these endangered parrots can live in harmony with human beings. It’s up to us to bring them safely home.

[photos of wild blue-throated macaw babies by Elaine Radford]

Backyard Birding in Merida and Beyond – BIRD LO…

Cherie Pittillo – zoologist, photographer, author – explores nature everywhere she goes. In September, 2012, she had recorded the 44th bird species to visit her Merida backyard in five years. Perhaps this is a surprise, for Merida is a concrete city of a million people – but not to Cherie. Join her as she shares information about her backyard birds and places to explore nature in the Yucatan Peninsula. Her monthly column features anecdotes about birding in Merida and beyond, while a weekly column will answer “What bird is that?” or “Where is that location?” Contact her: all4birdies@gmail.com All photos and text are ©, Cherie Pittillo.

Male White-fronted Parrot on twig

WHITE-FRONTED PARROT, Amazona albifrons, loro frente blanca (Spanish), sac pol xt’uut (Mayan) ©Cherie Pittillo

Each morning for more than two years, a pair of White-fronted Parrots have flown into the neighborhood and greeted each other with their melodic songs. To me it sounds “normal” for a pair of “love birds.”

http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/8404/amazona–white-fronted-parrot-mexico-oaxaca-l-irby-davis

These Amazon parrots are one of the few Amazona species where the sexes don’t look alike.  Males have red shoulders while females don’t.

White-fronted Parrot male with red shoulders and white forecrown

Female White-fronted Parrot with no red shoulders

When perched in bare trees, those white crowns look like beacons but when they sit among green leaves, they’re almost impossible to spot with their green plumage.

White-fronted Parrot Pair showing white crowns from a distance

Oh my gosh, is this another species appropriately named? It is as long as this species is not confused with the Yucatan Parrots which look similar even with larger white crowns. Barbara MacKinnon de Montes, bird expert and conservationist, has no reports of the Yucatan Parrots in Merida as they are more common in Quintana Roo. I have no images of this species…yet. *But I do have photos of the Red-lored Parrots who also greet the dawn in our colonias and were featured in last week’s column.

Let’s compare the physical differences between the Red-lored Parrots and the White-fronted Parrots and both live in Merida. Obvious distinctions are the white, cauliflower-like forecrowns and the red shoulders of the White-fronted Parrots. Although the White-fronted are two inches shorter than the foot long Red-lored, I have a difficult time to see the smaller size.

Red-lored Parrot lacks red shoulders and white crown

Male White-fronted Parrot with white forecrown and red shoulders

Both species have those strong, curved bills and four-toed feet, but now I’ll continue with the White-fronted Parrots.

Although I captured this female White-fronted Parrot in mid-scratch grooming, it provides a closer look at her bill and her foot (with a scratched-out feather).  Both are amazing adaptations and serve many functions for this species as well as other parrot species.

Female White-fronted Parrot showing feather stuck to foot and curved bill

The upper bill provides enormous biting pressure since it isn’t attached to the skull. The cutting edge on the lower mandible moves against the upper one like an anvil.  Within the edges of the bill and on the tongue are touch receptors which help with various manipulations of climbing, preening, and feeding. They are especially important to help place seeds or nuts in the best place to be cracked open by the bill.

That powerful bill can also be used to protect the bird, to husk seeds, to puncture fruit, or to aid in climbing. It can also gently scratch and clean a monogamous mate’s feathers to maintain social bonding as a pair.

Female White-fronted Parrot uses bill and tongue to preen monogamous male

The foot can manipulate food easily, perch on a limb or swing under it, threaten an intruder, and/or serve as a comb for its feathers. Some research indicates the parrot may favor one foot or the other to hold food similar to whether people are right-handed or left-handed.

Male White-fronted Parrot uses bill and feet to climb upside down

Their primary food source  is seeds and they also eat leaves, nuts, blossoms and buds. Sometimes flocks become pests as they raid grain fields or other crops.

Male White-fronted Parrot in citrus tree

When Hurricane Gilbert devastated many crops and trees in 1988, little food remained on the trees especially in Oxkutzcab. Flocks of White-fronted Parrots attacked the citrus crop. Each parrot picked a hole into one fruit to pull out the seeds and then went to the next one. This is their typical style of eating as they usually eat the fruit to get to the seeds. Anyway, they damaged most of the crop and therefore the livelihood of the citizens in this citrus-growing town. Citrus plantation owners poisoned the parrots.

Barbara Mackinnon de Montes has observed 20-25 birds in one Merida flock while I’ve only counted up to 19. I’ve climbed on my casa roof to wait for a large group to appear. I can hear their noisy flight calls but I haven’t photographed them. It’s been too dark, the flock splits into smaller foraging groups, or I just missed them.  So I don’t have any photos of more than a pair.
These parrots nestle under foliage in trees to roost. After the parrots awake, they move out to more exposed trees and vocalize loudly for awhile. http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/8406/amazona-albifrons-white-fronted-parrot-mexico-nayarit-edgar-kincaid

Then they move into smaller foraging flocks and disperse in different directions. This is when people see them on Paseo de Montejo or in our many yards, trees, or gardens.

Here are their calls made while in flight: http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/8413/amazona-albifrons-white-fronted-parrot-nicaragua-douglas-davis

To communicate, they have a special “ack, ack, ack” contact call:

http://macaulaylibrary.org/audio/144901/amazona-albifrons-white-fronted-parrot-mexico-campeche-mark-robbins

The female hatches two-five eggs in 25 days in nests of either dead tree cavities, in old woodpecker nests or in palms. Both adults feed the young who depart the nest in about three months.

Pair of White-fronted Parrots at nest hole

In addition to Merida, the White-fronted Parrots are native to southern Mexico and Central America and live in habitats that vary from dry areas with trees, lowlands, low mountain ranges to rain forests.

Next time you hear the parrots approach, maybe you can discover the white on the White-fronted Parrots’ heads to identify them and impress your friends.

Ack, ack, ack.  Stay in “contack¨.

WF male on wide tree

*link to Red-lored Parrot column: http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2013/02/backyard-birding-in-merida-and-beyond-bird-lore-a-tale-of-two-parrots-part-one/

DISCLAIMER: References do not agree on information about this species. Here are my resources: A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America, macaulaylibrary.org, http://www.acguanacaste.ac.cr/loras_acg/whitefront.html, http://www.avianweb.com/whitefrontedamazon.html,http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/lifehistory?p_p_spp=196536

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Backyard Birding in Merida and Beyond – Chain Saws and Homeless

Cherie Pittillo – zoologist, photographer, author – explores nature everywhere she goes. In September, 2012, she had recorded the 44th bird species to visit her Merida backyard in five years. Perhaps this is a surprise, for Merida is a concrete city of a million people – but not to Cherie. Join her as she shares information about her backyard birds and places to explore nature in the Yucatan Peninsula. Her monthly column features anecdotes about birding in Merida and beyond, while a weekly column will answer “What bird is that?” or “Where is that location?” Contact her: all4birdies@gmail.com All photos and text are ©, Cherie Pittillo.

When I heard the roar of a chain saw, my heart sank. I ran to our parking lot in our block. And stopped. And stared in disbelief. I was too late.

Another tree was gone. Tears welled up. I ran back to my home, grabbed my camera, and returned to see another tree cut down. Here is the photo of the “after”.

After palm tree cut on left and dead tree (snag) on right

This is what I’ve photographed for more than two years. Almost every time I went in or out of this lot for five years, I looked at those trees, the headless palm tree on the far left and the dead one on the right.

Before with left palm tree and right dead tree

Although I may sound like a ‘tree hugger,” I’m not. Keep reading.

This one Royal Palm served as a beacon to attract birds to nest or roost in its tree cavities carved out by woodpeckers. Although I started casually observing these trees in 2007, I didn’t begin to photograph the birds there until 2010. I noticed interest in one of the woodpecker-made holes for a few months by the Red-lored Parrots. Both adults took turns reshaping the entry and pulling out tree tissue until Feb. 18, 2011.

Red-lored Parrot pair at nest

On that day a pair of White-fronted Parrots claimed it and I never saw the pair of Red-lored Parrots again after several months of their lengthy efforts to make a nest. (Yes, Merida has more than one parrot species.)

White-fronted Parrot pair arrive at future nest

In 2012, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker chipped and chunked out a new nesting cavity mouthful by mouthful just below where the White-fronted Parrots arrived to nest.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker pair at nest

As if two nesting sites for two species weren’t enough, enter the Great Kiskadee pair to adorn the top of the palm with their nest.

Great Kiskadee at palm tree nest

Things became tricky for the parrots to work on their nest. It seemed the male parrot would distract the kiskadee to chase it to give the female parrot time to sneak into the nest hole.

Female White-fronted Parrot screaming at Great Kiskadee chasing male parrot. Beak is red from food, not blood.

Meanwhile the woodpecker could swoop into its nest unscathed from the kiskadees but it would stick its head out first to look around before it flew away. Three different species tried to nest within 15 feet of each other.

Three nesting sites

Both the kiskadees and woodpeckers raised their broods. The parrots seemed to experiment about setting up housekeeping especially since each time they tried to enter their “home”, they were met with a tyrant flycatcher chasing the bejesus out of them. Plus parrots can work on their nest for several seasons before their nest is finalized. However the male Golden-fronted Woodpecker continued to use its former nest as his roost until tonight (Feb. 5, 2013).

Currently the Great Kiskadees and White-fronted Parrots have been active at their nest sites. Just last week two pairs of the parrots came crashing through limbs, chasing each other, and screaming bloody murder…or so it sounded to me. This was the most intense, loudest aggression I’ve witnessed between two pairs. Why? Competition for that former tree cavity in the former palm tree was that keen.

That is the crux of why I am upset.

How many available nesting locations are here in Centro? No one knows.

I don’t know how long it took the Golden-fronted Woodpecker to whittle out a place to roost or nest. Other birds, snakes, lizards and small mammals can use these abandoned tree cavities for roosting or raising young. Thank goodness the woodpecker got things started. Bit by bit by tiny bit. Day after day of carving. How much wood can a woodpecker’s mouth hold and then release out of its mouth? Spit happens. It’s a time-consuming, slow task.

Would it have made any difference to the owner of that property whether or not that tree provided nest sites? I don’t know.

Does it matter that the nearby snag was also cut down?  Yes, I know it was dead.  I would call it “sculptural”. Others would say “ugly”. But this old, dead tree gave the Golden-fronted Woodpeckers a place to mate several times close to their nest.

Female Golden-fronted Woodpecker on top after mating with male

Also it provided a respite from the nest sculpting, as a food source for both parents and their young, and as food storage.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker retrieving food from ‘pantry’ in snag.

Orioles, pygmy-owls and grackles seemed to use it as a lookout while doves and ground-doves found it ideal for brief hook-ups with responsive females.

Male White-winged Dove calling for females

The male parrot stood guard on this snag while the female worked on the nest.

Male White-fronted Parrot standing guard on snag

Both parrots used it to preen each other to maintain social bonding and to keep skin and feathers in good condition.

Female White-fronted Parrot preening parrot partner

Maybe all I can do is share the experience and explain the importance to save those nesting places as long as the host tree wouldn’t endanger people or property if it fell. I don’t think the snag would have done any damage; the palm hasn’t appeared to move for five years.

And finally I realize part of my emotion is thinking about the many hours at dawn and at evening in that parking lot trying to photograph and observe these birds for over two years. Sometimes I hid behind cars in the parking lot or sat in the car so I wouldn’t disturb any of the birds. I’ve sweated through many  hours patiently waiting for the birds to arrive so I could observe and/or photograph them. But now, all of my data seems naught. I wanted to continue to observe the parrots as I hoped for chicks this year. Then I’d share this story of three different species inhabiting a columnar condo and raising their chicks. I felt protective about that tree because I knew the “inside’ story. People who saw me in the parking lot asked what I was doing. No one admitted they saw any of the birds or their nests until I showed them.

Oh, and the parrots just flew overhead squawking and didn’t stop for their ritual evening concert as if they didn’t know where to stop.  By the way, they didn’t return the next morning, but the woodpecker continues to search for its hideaway.

My heart still hurts.

*Link to first column about the first tree cut down: http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2012/10/backyard-birds-in-merida-and-beyond/

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Backyard Birding in Merida and Beyond – Chain S…

Cherie Pittillo – zoologist, photographer, author – explores nature everywhere she goes. In September, 2012, she had recorded the 44th bird species to visit her Merida backyard in five years. Perhaps this is a surprise, for Merida is a concrete city of a million people – but not to Cherie. Join her as she shares information about her backyard birds and places to explore nature in the Yucatan Peninsula. Her monthly column features anecdotes about birding in Merida and beyond, while a weekly column will answer “What bird is that?” or “Where is that location?” Contact her: all4birdies@gmail.com All photos and text are ©, Cherie Pittillo.

When I heard the roar of a chain saw, my heart sank. I ran to our parking lot in our block. And stopped. And stared in disbelief. I was too late.

Another tree was gone. Tears welled up. I ran back to my home, grabbed my camera, and returned to see another tree cut down. Here is the photo of the “after”.

After palm tree cut on left and dead tree (snag) on right

This is what I’ve photographed for more than two years. Almost every time I went in or out of this lot for five years, I looked at those trees, the headless palm tree on the far left and the dead one on the right.

Before with left palm tree and right dead tree

Although I may sound like a ‘tree hugger,” I’m not. Keep reading.

This one Royal Palm served as a beacon to attract birds to nest or roost in its tree cavities carved out by woodpeckers. Although I started casually observing these trees in 2007, I didn’t begin to photograph the birds there until 2010. I noticed interest in one of the woodpecker-made holes for a few months by the Red-lored Parrots. Both adults took turns reshaping the entry and pulling out tree tissue until Feb. 18, 2011.

Red-lored Parrot pair at nest

On that day a pair of White-fronted Parrots claimed it and I never saw the pair of Red-lored Parrots again after several months of their lengthy efforts to make a nest. (Yes, Merida has more than one parrot species.)

White-fronted Parrot pair arrive at future nest

In 2012, a Golden-fronted Woodpecker chipped and chunked out a new nesting cavity mouthful by mouthful just below where the White-fronted Parrots arrived to nest.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker pair at nest

As if two nesting sites for two species weren’t enough, enter the Great Kiskadee pair to adorn the top of the palm with their nest.

Great Kiskadee at palm tree nest

Things became tricky for the parrots to work on their nest. It seemed the male parrot would distract the kiskadee to chase it to give the female parrot time to sneak into the nest hole.

Female White-fronted Parrot screaming at Great Kiskadee chasing male parrot. Beak is red from food, not blood.

Meanwhile the woodpecker could swoop into its nest unscathed from the kiskadees but it would stick its head out first to look around before it flew away. Three different species tried to nest within 15 feet of each other.

Three nesting sites

Both the kiskadees and woodpeckers raised their broods. The parrots seemed to experiment about setting up housekeeping especially since each time they tried to enter their “home”, they were met with a tyrant flycatcher chasing the bejesus out of them. Plus parrots can work on their nest for several seasons before their nest is finalized. However the male Golden-fronted Woodpecker continued to use its former nest as his roost until tonight (Feb. 5, 2013).

Currently the Great Kiskadees and White-fronted Parrots have been active at their nest sites. Just last week two pairs of the parrots came crashing through limbs, chasing each other, and screaming bloody murder…or so it sounded to me. This was the most intense, loudest aggression I’ve witnessed between two pairs. Why? Competition for that former tree cavity in the former palm tree was that keen.

That is the crux of why I am upset.

How many available nesting locations are here in Centro? No one knows.

I don’t know how long it took the Golden-fronted Woodpecker to whittle out a place to roost or nest. Other birds, snakes, lizards and small mammals can use these abandoned tree cavities for roosting or raising young. Thank goodness the woodpecker got things started. Bit by bit by tiny bit. Day after day of carving. How much wood can a woodpecker’s mouth hold and then release out of its mouth? Spit happens. It’s a time-consuming, slow task.

Would it have made any difference to the owner of that property whether or not that tree provided nest sites? I don’t know.

Does it matter that the nearby snag was also cut down?  Yes, I know it was dead.  I would call it “sculptural”. Others would say “ugly”. But this old, dead tree gave the Golden-fronted Woodpeckers a place to mate several times close to their nest.

Female Golden-fronted Woodpecker on top after mating with male

Also it provided a respite from the nest sculpting, as a food source for both parents and their young, and as food storage.

Golden-fronted Woodpecker retrieving food from ‘pantry’ in snag.

Orioles, pygmy-owls and grackles seemed to use it as a lookout while doves and ground-doves found it ideal for brief hook-ups with responsive females.

Male White-winged Dove calling for females

The male parrot stood guard on this snag while the female worked on the nest.

Male White-fronted Parrot standing guard on snag

Both parrots used it to preen each other to maintain social bonding and to keep skin and feathers in good condition.

Female White-fronted Parrot preening parrot partner

Maybe all I can do is share the experience and explain the importance to save those nesting places as long as the host tree wouldn’t endanger people or property if it fell. I don’t think the snag would have done any damage; the palm hasn’t appeared to move for five years.

And finally I realize part of my emotion is thinking about the many hours at dawn and at evening in that parking lot trying to photograph and observe these birds for over two years. Sometimes I hid behind cars in the parking lot or sat in the car so I wouldn’t disturb any of the birds. I’ve sweated through many  hours patiently waiting for the birds to arrive so I could observe and/or photograph them. But now, all of my data seems naught. I wanted to continue to observe the parrots as I hoped for chicks this year. Then I’d share this story of three different species inhabiting a columnar condo and raising their chicks. I felt protective about that tree because I knew the “inside’ story. People who saw me in the parking lot asked what I was doing. No one admitted they saw any of the birds or their nests until I showed them.

Oh, and the parrots just flew overhead squawking and didn’t stop for their ritual evening concert as if they didn’t know where to stop.  By the way, they didn’t return the next morning, but the woodpecker continues to search for its hideaway.

My heart still hurts.

*Link to first column about the first tree cut down: http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2012/10/backyard-birds-in-merida-and-beyond/

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Living in a Parrot Paradise

Like most biologists, Luke P. Thornburg ’13 spends his time in the lab interacting with living subjects. But unlike many researchers, Thornburg sings to his subjects—and they sing back to him.

Thornburg works in the Avian Cognition Lab at Brandeis University with two African Grey Parrots named Griffin and Arthur. Since this February, he has been investigating the evolutionary relationship between parrots and humans.

“Parrots are a lot closer to humans than we thought,” said Thornburg, who is an Organismic and Evolutionary Biology concentrator with a secondary field in Psychology.

The Lowell House resident discovered animal cognition research last fall after taking comparative psychologist Irene M. Pepperberg’s seminar Psychology 980f, “Animal Cognition.” Pepperberg holds appointments in both Brandeis and Harvard’s psychology departments.

Thornburg said that he’s “always been an animal fan,” but until the seminar, his only experience with birds was time with his sister’s pet cockatiel.

He added that learning about Pepperberg’s research parrot Alex inspired him to try animal cognition research for himself.

“We read a lot of papers on Alex…I learned a lot about different [bird] species but a whole lot of [Pepperberg’s] personal stories were inspiring,” Thornburg said.

Pepperberg said that accepting Thornburg on her research team was a no-brainer.

“He wrote probably one of the most innovative finals I’ve seen,” she said. “When he asked to work in the lab, I instantly said yes.”

Currently, Thornburg’s research focuses on how parrots socialize and judge the size of objects in their environment. He spends nine hours a week at the cognition lab working with Griffin and Arthur.

“[Thornburg’s] been one of the most professional and dedicated students that I have,” said Suzanne Gray, the Avian Cognition Lab manager. “He always shows extreme interest and very careful, thought-through work. He’s a great person to brainstorm with when things aren’t going exactly as planned.”

Before Thornburg joined the lab, Griffin and Alex had been trained to recognize colors and objects. Now in his own research, Thornburg presents pairs of differently-sized colored cups and asks his parrots which one they think is the larger of the two. He works primarily with Griffin, as Arthur does not like to work with male scientists and is the less sociable of the two.

“[Griffin] has good days and bad days,” Thornburg said. “It’s not like you’re testing a bacterial strain or an organism that’s going to do the same thing every time. [Parrots] are temperamental animals and so they’re definitely affected by mood and what day it is.”

Thornburg’s also studies the idea of “reciprocal altruism”: how animals offer gifts or acts of kindness to others.

Aside from his research, Thornburg is active in the Harvard Glee Club, a Christian fellowship group, and the Harvard Story-Time Players. The Players put on shows for children in hospitals and after-school programs.

Still, Thornburg says his work with Griffin is one of the most prominent parts of his life.

“At the end of the day, when [Griffin’s] happy we’re done with the work, he’ll just start singing to himself,” Thornburg said.

“I’m kind of not supposed to sing along. I’m supposed to…get him to talk out his feelings and not just sing about it [but] sometimes I’ll sing along anyway.”

Plight of Illegally Traded Birds Highlighted At Windhoek Show

THE African Grey parrot is at risk of going extinct because of the scourge of illegal trapping and trading of the species, the Avicultural Association of Namibia (AAN) has warned. AAN, a self-policing voluntary group of bird breeders, is exhibiting at the Windhoek Agricultural and Industrial Show this week to enlighten people about the dangers of illegal bird trade and is assisted by the Namibia Animal Rehabilitation Research and Education Centre (Narrec) in its campaign to raise public awareness.

Narrec together with AAN is highlighting the issue of illegal trade through posters and flyers displayed at the stall.

Because of the voluntary nature of AAN not everyone who associate with the group adheres to proposed norms and standards and these standards may even be ignored by its members, most of whom breed and trade with parrot species.

In order to trade with wildlife, a permit is required from the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and in order to breed and sell parrot species the birds must have permanent identification.

This is done with a closed ring fitted over the baby bird’s foot so that once the bird has grown the ring can no longer slip off the foot. The ring provides an identification proving that the bird was bred in captivity. This method is very poorly enforced and many members of the public do not seem to know that buying a parrot without a closed ring is buying a bird that may have been illegally caught in the wild.

Aviculture is one of the greatest threats to parrot species globally. A case in point is the extinction of the Spix’s Macaw, a beautiful blue bird poached to extinction in the 1990s just across the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil. It is the ease of transporting birds, the lack of local inspection and enforcement by authorities and the lack of information given to the general public that puts all bird species at risk of unscrupulous action.

Africa has its own parrot species at risk and on a continental scale the African Grey parrot is most at risk from the scourge of illegal trapping and trading.

Jamie Gilardi, the executive director of the World Parrot Trust, writes: “If you care about wildlife, nature, your pets, our planet, and all things good, you need to support the suspension of all trade in grey parrots from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Thousands of these long-lived, intelligent parrots are ripped out of the wild every year, packed into cramped travel crates, fed on mouldy peanuts, and then sold into the lucrative wildlife trade.

“Many die from exhaustion or fatal injury in nets and snares or from dehydration, disease and stress in rudimentary wooden crates when being stored, transported and sold by local trappers. Even more die in crammed travel crates in transit to rural markets where thousands of grey parrots are collected by exporters and quarantined until they are sold, euthanised or die….”

Namibia is one of the countries through which birds are trafficked, with a busy port through which birds can be moved around the globe. .

On a national scale Namibia’s five parrot species are all at risk of illegal trade and this trade can only be limited by the factor of the connection between demand and supply. The more people are aware of the inhumane treatment of animals during trafficking operations, the closer we can get to blocking the demand for wild caught birds.

More animals, birds in zoo

Old visitors are making a beeline to the zoological park at the news of new arrivals as it was the only avenue for entertainment-starved Coimbatoreans, said officials

The Corporation’s Mini Zoo at VOC Park has four new arrivals i.e., Moustached Parakeets, African Grey Parrot, Assame Goats and Nanday Conure which are attracting more visitors.

According to official sources, two pairs i.e. four African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) said to be costing Rs. 1 lakh per pair have joined the 435 avian species belonging to 25 species at the zoo.

In addition, nine moustached parakeets sold at Rs. 30,000 per pair have also been donated to the zoo. The other avian species, a new arrival, is five numbers of Nanday Conure, a parakeet said to be South American species numbering five. Two Assam Goats said to be costing Rs. 50,000 each have also joined the animals at the zoo.

The zoo in a 4.61 acre of land has more than 435 bird species, 109 species of mammals belonging to nine species and 32 reptiles belonging to seven species.

In fact, the news about new arrivals has triggered interest in people who have already visited the zoo. Old visitors are making a beeline to the zoological park as it was the only avenue for entertainment-starved Coimbatoreans, officials said.

After a face lift given recently, the officials are trying to put up labels at the zoo giving the name and features of the species in each enclosure. In fact, the conditions had proved so good that the Corporation’s Mini Zoo has proved an ideal habitat with more animals breeding in captivity and their numbers increasing.

Officials said that on average 50 schools are visiting the zoo every month on an educational tour. The number of students from each school has been upward of 50, officials said, going by the entry ticket sale.

The Who, Why And How of Parrot Talking

Jessica Meyers of Texas has a blue-fronted Amazon parrot that likes to sit in his cage and carry on a phone conversation by himself. “He’ll start out with ‘Hello’ and ‘I’m doing fine,’ say some ‘Uh-huhs’ and an ‘Oh, really?’ and end with ‘Bye-bye. Talk to you later.’ He goes through this whole dialogue a couple of times every day – usually after he hears the phone ring,” Meyers related.

Courtesy Heather Strella, California
African grey parrots are known as one of the best talking parrot species.

Benny, an umbrella cockatoo owned by Ron Gorski of Michigan, frequently tells Gorski’s two young sons to “Be quiet!” and “Stop that!” at the appropriate times – when the boys are arguing or rough-housing and being too noisy.

Avian veterinarian Gregory Burkett, DVM, of North Carolina, has an African grey parrot named Candy with a vocabulary of 700 words. She speaks in sentences, responds to questions, greets people with their name and makes requests for food – especially when she sees other people eating.

Some parrots are more into singing than talking. Virginia aviculturist Kashmir Csaky lives with several macaws that hum or sing such tunes as “Let’s Go To The Hop,” “Mellow Yellow,” “Happy Birthday” and “Jingle Bells.” They also like to sing the “Tequila” song. “Even if just one of the macaws is singing by itself, the other birds will all chime in and yell ‘Tequila!’ at the right time,” Csaky said.

There’s no doubt about it – parrots can certainly entertain, delight and even impress us with their vocal abilities. Sometimes it’s amazing just how many words they pick up or how clearly they speak. Other times we’re surprised by how they just happen to say the right thing at the right moment or respond correctly when we ask them questions.

Most bird behaviorists tell us that just about any parrot species has the potential for mimicking human speech. Some bird species are, however, more talented at mimicry than others. The top talkers overall – in terms of clarity and size of their vocabulary – are generally considered to be the African grey parrot and the yellow-naped, double yellow-headed and blue-fronted Amazon parrots.

Other parrots known for their talking abilities include macaws (especially the blue-and-gold macaw and hyacinth macaw), cockatoos (particularly the bare-eyed cockatoo and slender-billed cockatoo) and conures (most notably the blue-crowned conure). Indian ring-necked parakeets, Eclectus and budgerigars (parakeets) are also known to be good talkers. There are even a number of nonpsittacine birds that have this ability. The best known is the mynah bird. Others include the common grackle, crow, raven, blue jay and even the mockingbird.

Why Mimic Human Speech?
Companion birds learn to “speak human” for three main reasons: to try to fit in with their human “flock,” to communicate various types of messages and to seek attention from the people around them.

In the wild, parrots live in flocks, which provides them with a sense of security. They spend much of their waking hours calling out and talking to each other in “bird language” to stay in contact with each other, to notify each other of food sources, to warn each other of predators, to locate lost flock members and to make sure everyone is accounted for at the end of the day. Hearing the vocalizations of fellow flock members is very reassuring to wild parrots.

In captivity, a pet bird sees its owner and other humans in the household as its flock. Because everyone else in the household is “speaking human,” the pet bird will often imitate the language being spoken by the flock. “The pet bird wants to be part of the flock and will talk like the other flock members to be accepted as part of the group,” Dr. Burkett said.

Just like a wild parrot, your pet bird may vocalize to communicate particular messages to you. It may repeat certain phrases when it is hungry, to greet you when you get up in the morning or come home from work, to try to locate you when you are out of its sight or to warn you of predators when it sees something frightening.

More often than not, though, “pet parrots talk because they want attention,” according to biologist and parrot communication researcher Irene Pepperberg, Ph.D., author of The Alex Studies (Harvard University Press, 1999). “It doesn’t take long for your bird to learn that when it says ‘Hi,’ you’re right at its cage door and saying ‘Hi’ back.”

Aviculturist Steve Hartman of Ohio has a yellow-naped Amazon parrot that will immediately start talking whenever Hartman ignores it. “If I’m standing in front of its cage talking to someone else, it will start repeating actual parts of the conversation, just like a tape recorder,” Hartman related. “The bird sees me paying attention to someone who’s talking and figures that if it wants attention, it’s going to have to use words too.”

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American Bird Conservancy Cooperative Conservation Approach Helping Birds …

Courtesy Fundación ProAves

The recent announcement by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that the number of globally at-risk bird species on their “Red List” has risen from 1,253 last year to 1,331 in 2012 is proof that species conservation is needed now more than ever. A cooperative approach to bird conservation is being implemented by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and its partners, with the goal of achieving positive results in Central and South America and providing a roadmap for change.

The ABC approach employs two key principals: partnership with in-country conservation groups and a focus on protecting key sites and bird species in most peril.

The results are measureable and significant. Since 1999, ABC has partnered with 20 organizations in 10 countries to create a network of 44 bird reserves, most of which are part of a new Latin American Bird Reserve Network. The reserves protect more than 40 percent of the rarest bird species in the Americas — 39 out of 96 species that are found only at one last location on Earth. Additionally, ABC and its partners have expanded conservation efforts to include imperiled species that inhabit only a few remaining sites, and already 16 percent (30 of 189 species) are receiving protection.

Several examples of the successful model promoted by ABC and its partners are a suite of species that have seen their threat status reduced in recent years. ABC has partnered with Fundación ProAves in Colombia on the yellow-eared parrot, Fundação Biodiversitas in Brazil on the Lear’s macaw and Fundación Jocotoco in Ecuador on the pale-headed brush-finch. All three bird species have experienced population growth due to conservation of their habitats through private reserves. Each has had its threat status reduced from Critically Endangered to Endangered by the IUCN.

The ABC partner reserves are established through donations to ABC, other international conservation organizations, local partners and through local government initiatives. Management of the reserves typically rests with either the local organization or a partnership between the local organization and local communities or governments.

The reserves are especially attractive to tourists, not only for the spectacular rare birds and other wildlife that can be seen, but also because funds raised through tourism go directly to the local organization to support conservation of those species and their habitats.

“International birding travel is already popular, and we want more birders to know that their pastime can actually contribute to saving the species they love,” said Mike Parr, Vice President for Program Development at ABC. “Visiting birders can provide a source of direct income to the reserves, helping them become self-sufficient and sustainable in the long term.”

ABC has called this effort Conservation Birding and created an interactive website, which has been designed specifically to help visitors plan birding trips to help conservation. The site presents detailed information on the reserves and ecolodges established by the conservation groups. A Google Earth component adds another dimension by presenting suggested routes, photographs of lodges and birds, and videos of rare and interesting species.

To further global endangered species conservation, ABC also helped establish the Alliance for Zero Extinction, a joint international initiative of 80 biodiversity conservation organizations that aims to prevent species extinctions by identifying and safeguarding key sites, each of which is the last remaining refuge for one or more Endangered or Critically Endangered species. AZE’s goal is to create a frontline of defense against extinction by protecting as many of these sites as possible.

“Because time is running out for many species, this effort begins with the crises we know about, and expands its focus as new information emerges on the status of species and their habitats,” said Parr, who is also Chair of AZE.

To date, AZE has identified 587 sites worldwide that are the last refuges for 920 of the world’s most highly threatened species; 200 of these are bird species, with 96 of those in Latin America and the Caribbean. Examples include the Blue-billed Curassow, Royal Cinclodes, Marvelous Spatuletail and the Santa Marta parakeet in Latin America, as well as the Whooping Crane and a number of Hawaiian bird species, such as the Palila and Maui Parrotbill in the United States. The Latin American Bird Reserve Network reflects the implementation by ABC and its partners of AZE principles to save these species.

In China, a swallow doesn’t necessarily make a summer

Where have all the birds gone? The pretty flowers and trees are there aplenty in the Chinese capital and elsewhere in the country, but the birds are missing. Here, a swallow doesn’t necessarily make a summer.

Accustomed to seeing birds of all kinds in India, from cawing gatherings of crows, flocks of pigeons serenading one another on balconies and any possible place, parrots squawking to each other in the trees and many other bird species, the near-absence of our flying friends in China is a startling revelation.

In Beijing’s sanitized environment, with its endless rows of spectacular high-rises, neat gardens and boulevards, you very rarely get to spot the feathered species.

There are no familiar bird droppings on the balconies, no birds sitting on power cables – a familiar sight in India- and no flocks of pigeons pecking for grain on sidewalks, sharing space with pedestrians.

“During the early days of Communist China (in the 1950s), the Chinese leadership told the people to kill all birds as they ate the grain, and that reduced the bird population,” Ranjit Kumar, diplomatic editor of Navbharat Times, who has visited China several times and keenly follows developments there, told IANS.

Millions of birds died during those years, and the after-effects of that decision can be seen even today.  A small flock of birds flying in the Beijing skyline is a rare sight, and once in a while, if you are watchful, you might get to see some sparrows in the gardens.

“In India, you get to see so many birds. You guys are lucky. In Beijing, we don’t have any birds,” said a senior official of the Chinese embassy in New Delhi, pointing to the large green lawns of the embassy in the Indian capital that had crows, pigeons, mynahs, sparrows, parrots, thrushes and many more bird species chirruping and squawking in happy unison.

That statement by the Chinese official had seemed too incongruous to believe, till one saw it first hand in Beijing.

In China people kill birds with slingshots for the meat. “They use the gulel (sling shot) and aim stones at birds to kill them for the meat,” said a China watcher, who did not want to be named.

China, which did not have much forest cover, launched an afforestation drive in earnest in the 1980s. This added to the green cover and the bird population started making an appearance.

The near-absence of birds was also noticeable during a journey by the IANS correspondent by the bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing – a distance of over 1,300 km.The power cables were bare, and the skyline for miles did not show up any birds, except once in a while.

The gradual appearance of the bird population in China has made its presence felt in another way – bird hits.

The 24th Air Division of the PLA Air Force, situated on the outskirts of Beijing at Yangcun, has placed coloured flags and scarecrows in the air fields to scare away the birds.

“Yes, we are now facing the problem of birds,” a PLA Air Force official told a visiting group of Indian journalists.

At Beijing Airport too, finding out ways to avert bird hits is gathering focus. The China Daily last week devoted an entire page to the issue and elaborated on the devices used to shoo away the birds, including “bird-frightening devices such as automatic bird distress recorders, automatic gas exploders and raptor-like kites, to stop birds from coming close. There is also wire mesh, about six metres tall, to block birds from entering the runways.”

Hopefully, the bird population in China will thrive, like they do in India and elsewhere in the world.

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