Parrot Conservation From Kakapo to Lear’s Macaw: Tales of Hope From Around the World

About this book

One third of the world's nearly 400 species of parrots are threatened with extinction or already close to it. These include some of the most spectacular and iconic bird species on the planet, such as the Hyacinth Macaw from South America, the Kakapo from New Zealand and the Orange-bellied Parrot from Australia. Parrot Conservation takes a detailed look at 30 parrot species and explains why they are endangered and the steps being taken to conserve them. Many of these chapters include highlights of the author's own time in the field working on and observing conservation projects related to the parrots' survival. These very personal accounts vividly bring to life the problems that parrots are facing.

Aimed at birdwatchers, conservationists, cagebird enthusiasts and a 'nature writing' readership, through engaging text and captivating stories Parrot Conservation aims to promote a wider interest in the plight and conservation of parrots, which is essential in terms of raising future funds for the many projects that require funding.

Parrot Conservation will also serve as an essential reference to all those people directly involved in parrot conservation, to understand the issues involved and the techniques – successful and unsuccessful – applied to date.

Contents

Acknowledgements   6
Foreword   9
Introduction   11

Part I: Why Parrots Are Endangered   13
1. Why Parrot Survival Matters   14
2. Loss of Habitat   22
3. Lack of Nest Sites   35
4. Trade: Legal and Illegal   44
5. Egg Smugglers and Feather Hunters   57
6.   Threats from Introduced Species   63

Part II: Conservation and Its Techniques   71
7. How Parrot Conservation Started   72
8. Conservation Status   78
9. Conservation Management Techniques   89
10. Funding Parrot Conservation   98
11. Conservation Education   104
12. Reintroduction and Rehabilitation   113
13. Captive Breeding and Conservation   123
14. Peruvian Clay Licks and Ecotourism   131
15. The Future for Parrots   138

PART III: Species   147
Australasia   148
16. The Mysterious, The Disappearing and The Neglected   148
17. Black-Cockatoos in Western Australia   158
18. South-eastern Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo   168
19. Orange-bellied and Swift Parrots   174
20. Red-fronted Parakeet   184
21. Kakapo   194
22. Kea and Kaka   203
23. Philippine Cockatoo   210
24. Indonesia's Cockatoos   218
25. Chattering Lory   228
26. Vini Lorikeets   239

The Neotropics   248
27. Hyacinth Macaw   248
28. Lear's Macaw   256
29. Spix s Macaw   265
30. Great Green Macaw   275
31. Blue-throated Macaw   284
32. Scarlet Macaw in Central America   295
33. Blue-and-yellow Macaw in Trinidad   304
34. Amazona Parrots in The Lesser Antilles   309
35. Puerto Rican Amazon   320
36. Cayman Islands' Parrots   328
37. Yellow-shouldered and Yellow-naped Amazons   334
38. Mealy Amazons   344
39. Red-tailed Amazon   351
40. Maroon-fronted and Thick-billed Parrots   357
41. Indigo-winged Parrot   365
42. Yellow-eared Parrot   372
43. Grey-breasted Parakeet and Other Pyrrhura Species   380
44. Burrowing Parrot   391

Afrotropics 398
45. Cape Parrot   398
46. Grey Parrots   405
47. Echo Parakeet   414

Epilogue  420
Appendix   422
Index   425

(colour plates are between pages 240 and 241)

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Biography

Rosemary Low’s passion is parrot conservation, in which she has been involved since the 1980s, visiting more than 20 countries and playing a role in countless projects. She is internationally known as a writer on parrots, having published more than 30 books. She has been curator of the world’s largest parrot collection, at Loro Parque, Tenerife, and today she is a board member of Loro Parque Fundación, the major funding organisation for parrot projects, which donates in excess of US$1million annually.