Papuzie węże, wężowa cykada. O międzygatunkowym podzielaniu właściwości w etnozoologiach i kosmologiach Indian i Metysów Amazonii

In this article, I present two examples of animals which, according to the Matsigenka and other native and mestizo Amazonians, share important properties with other, unre- lated (from the Western, or scientific point of view) animal species. The first example con- cerns the two-striped forest-pitviper (Bothrops bilineatus), which the Matsigenka and some other indigenous peoples associate with several species of parrots. According to the indig- enous view, there exist several „species” (ethnospecies) of the two-striped forest-pitviper, each of them sharing color patterns with particular parrot species. The second example concerns the lantern-fly (Fulgora laternaria, Fulgora spp.), an insect which in many parts of South America is considered a deadly, venomous snake in cicada-like form.

Contributions of Distribution Modelling to the Ecological Study of Psittaciformes

We provide an overview of the use of species distribution modeling to address research questions related to parrot ecology and conservation at a global scale. We conducted a literature search and applied filters to select the 82 most relevant studies to discuss. The study of parrot species distribution has increased steadily in the past 30 years, with methods and computing development maturing and facilitating their application for a wide range of research and applied questions. Conservation topics was the most popular topic (37%), followed by ecology (34%) and invasion ecology (20%). The role of abiotic factors explaining parrot distribution is the most frequent ecological application. The high prevalence of studies supporting on-ground conservation problems is a remarkable example of reduction in the research–action gap. Prediction of invasion risk and assessment of invasion effect were more prevalent than examples evaluating the environmental or economic impact of these invasions. The integration of species distribution models with other tools in the decision-making process and other data (e.g., landscape metrics, genetic, behavior) could even further expand the range of applications and provide a more nuanced understanding of how parrot species are responding to their even more changing landscape and threats.

Contact calls of island Brown-throated Parakeets exhibit both character and variance shifts compared to calls of their mainland relatives

Learned vocalizations play a key role in parrot social dynamics and vocal dialects have been documented for several mainland species, but to date no studies of geographically structured call variation in parrot species have examined the role of isolation on islands. In a study of the Brown-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula pertinax), which inhabits 5 small Caribbean islands as well as the adjacent mainland, we found that the contact calls of island and mainland parakeets show divergence in vocal characters as well as in call variability. We assessed call variation using 3 approaches: frequency measurements, spectrogram cross-correlation (SPCC) analyses, and call duration measurements. Island parakeets’ calls were longer and had lower mean frequencies, and calls from different islands were distinguishable from each other as well as from mainland calls using measures derived from the SPCCs. In addition, we measured call variability at 2 different levels—within-location and within-individual. We found calls to be more variable for island parakeets for SPCC and duration measures, but less variable for frequency measures. The observed call differentiation among locations may be due to drift, whereas the lower frequency of island calls could either be a response to the windy environment on the islands or a consequence of the island subspecies’ larger body sizes. We also hypothesize that the isolation of parakeet populations on small islands may have resulted in reduced selection for local call convergence, allowing island parakeets to produce more variable calls. We suggest that due to poor signal transmission in the windy island environment, selective pressures may favor variability in more easily perceived call features (like call duration) rather than more subtle features, like frequency shifts. Experimental tests are required to determine whether observed call patterns translate into similarly structured patterns in the responses to vocal variants.

Kākāpō reproduction: Identification of steroid receptors and oestrogenic activity in native flora

<p>Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) are a critically endangered parrot species endemic to New Zealand that exhibit a reproductive strategy linked to “masting” years. Crucial to their survival is increased reproductive success. It has been hypothesised that their pattern of reproduction is synchronised with a steroidal “trigger” present in plants during intensive masting. If this hypothesis is valid, then Kākāpō and other closely related NZ parrots might be receptive to these masting plants in a manner different from that of other avian species. The aims of this study were firstly, to identify whether unique amino acid motifs were present in the ligand binding domains (LBD) for the steroid receptors oestrogen receptor α (ER-α), oestrogen receptor β (ER-β), androgen receptor (AR) and progesterone receptor (PR) for the New Zealand parrots Kākāpō, Kākā, Kākāriki and Kea. These LBD amino acid sequences were compared with those in an Australian parrot, the Cockatiel, as well as in Chicken and Japanese Quail. Moreover, the role of these amino acid changes on the binding of ligands (both the native ligand and other steroidogenic compounds) for ER-α was assessed by in silico modelling by comparing the most favourable binding position of the ligands in the three-dimensional structure of Kākāpō ER-α with that of human ER-α. The second aim was to test extracts of New Zealand native plants known to be a food source for Kākāpō for their seasonal variation in oestrogenic activity and hence possible involvement in the reproductive cycle of Kākāpō. The LBD for ER-β and AR of the parrot species (New Zealand and Australian) displayed 100% identity whilst those for ER-α and PR had variations. When the parrot sequences were compared with those for other avian species and human, there were a number of amino acid differences present, with the greatest disparity present in the LBD of ER-α. From in silico modelling studies, the amino acid substitutions in this receptor were predicted to have an indirect influence on the binding position of both 17β-oestradiol and a number of phytoestrogens through changes in the structure of this region. Consequently, this could have an effect on the binding affinity of certain plant chemicals for ER-α and thus their potency. Plants extracts from the foliage and fruit of native New Zealand species were screened for oestrogenic activity in a yeast bioassay transfected with the human isoform of ER-α. The results from these experiments indicated that all the plants tested (excluding Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) exhibited detectable oestrogenic activity and a number also displayed variable and sometimes seasonal trends in activity. In summary, the results in this study identified ER-α LBD amino acid motifs unique to New Zealand parrots. For the other steroid receptors, the ER-β LBD had a three amino acid combination of M, V and L that was only present in the parrot species whilst both the AR and PR LBD displayed much greater inter-species conservation. These changes, particularly those in the ER-α LBD, may influence the binding of steroidogenic compounds, known to be present in the plants consumed by Kākāpō as demonstrated by in silico modelling. Thus, this research provides evidence that the diet of Kākāpō may influence their reproductive pattern. However, it remains to be determined whether the steroidogenic potency of these plant extracts is modified when interacting with the unique LBD of native NZ parrots.</p>

Kākāpō reproduction: Identification of steroid receptors and oestrogenic activity in native flora

<p>Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) are a critically endangered parrot species endemic to New Zealand that exhibit a reproductive strategy linked to “masting” years. Crucial to their survival is increased reproductive success. It has been hypothesised that their pattern of reproduction is synchronised with a steroidal “trigger” present in plants during intensive masting. If this hypothesis is valid, then Kākāpō and other closely related NZ parrots might be receptive to these masting plants in a manner different from that of other avian species. The aims of this study were firstly, to identify whether unique amino acid motifs were present in the ligand binding domains (LBD) for the steroid receptors oestrogen receptor α (ER-α), oestrogen receptor β (ER-β), androgen receptor (AR) and progesterone receptor (PR) for the New Zealand parrots Kākāpō, Kākā, Kākāriki and Kea. These LBD amino acid sequences were compared with those in an Australian parrot, the Cockatiel, as well as in Chicken and Japanese Quail. Moreover, the role of these amino acid changes on the binding of ligands (both the native ligand and other steroidogenic compounds) for ER-α was assessed by in silico modelling by comparing the most favourable binding position of the ligands in the three-dimensional structure of Kākāpō ER-α with that of human ER-α. The second aim was to test extracts of New Zealand native plants known to be a food source for Kākāpō for their seasonal variation in oestrogenic activity and hence possible involvement in the reproductive cycle of Kākāpō. The LBD for ER-β and AR of the parrot species (New Zealand and Australian) displayed 100% identity whilst those for ER-α and PR had variations. When the parrot sequences were compared with those for other avian species and human, there were a number of amino acid differences present, with the greatest disparity present in the LBD of ER-α. From in silico modelling studies, the amino acid substitutions in this receptor were predicted to have an indirect influence on the binding position of both 17β-oestradiol and a number of phytoestrogens through changes in the structure of this region. Consequently, this could have an effect on the binding affinity of certain plant chemicals for ER-α and thus their potency. Plants extracts from the foliage and fruit of native New Zealand species were screened for oestrogenic activity in a yeast bioassay transfected with the human isoform of ER-α. The results from these experiments indicated that all the plants tested (excluding Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) exhibited detectable oestrogenic activity and a number also displayed variable and sometimes seasonal trends in activity. In summary, the results in this study identified ER-α LBD amino acid motifs unique to New Zealand parrots. For the other steroid receptors, the ER-β LBD had a three amino acid combination of M, V and L that was only present in the parrot species whilst both the AR and PR LBD displayed much greater inter-species conservation. These changes, particularly those in the ER-α LBD, may influence the binding of steroidogenic compounds, known to be present in the plants consumed by Kākāpō as demonstrated by in silico modelling. Thus, this research provides evidence that the diet of Kākāpō may influence their reproductive pattern. However, it remains to be determined whether the steroidogenic potency of these plant extracts is modified when interacting with the unique LBD of native NZ parrots.</p>

Multi-Class Parrot Image Classification Including Subspecies with Similar Appearance

Owing to climate change and human indiscriminate development, the population of endangered species has been decreasing. To protect endangered species, many countries worldwide have adopted the CITES treaty to prevent the extinction of endangered plants and animals. Moreover, research has been conducted using diverse approaches, particularly deep learning-based animal and plant image recognition methods. In this paper, we propose an automated image classification method for 11 endangered parrot species included in CITES. The 11 species include subspecies that are very similar in appearance. Data images were collected from the Internet and built in cooperation with Seoul Grand Park Zoo to build an indigenous database. The dataset for deep learning training consisted of 70% training set, 15% validation set, and 15% test set. In addition, a data augmentation technique was applied to reduce the data collection limit and prevent overfitting. The performance of various backbone CNN architectures (i.e., VGGNet, ResNet, and DenseNet) were compared using the SSD model. The experiment derived the test set image performance for the training model, and the results show that the DenseNet18 had the best performance with an mAP of approximately 96.6% and an inference time of 0.38 s.

Nature calls: intelligence and natural foraging style predict poor welfare in captive parrots

Understanding why some species thrive in captivity, while others struggle to adjust, can suggest new ways to improve animal care. Approximately half of all Psittaciformes, a highly threatened order, live in zoos, breeding centres and private homes. Here, some species are prone to behavioural and reproductive problems that raise conservation and ethical concerns. To identify risk factors, we analysed data on hatching rates in breeding centres (115 species, 10 255 pairs) and stereotypic behaviour (SB) in private homes (50 species, 1378 individuals), using phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs). Small captive population sizes predicted low hatch rates, potentially due to genetic bottlenecks, inbreeding and low availability of compatible mates. Species naturally reliant on diets requiring substantial handling were most prone to feather-damaging behaviours (e.g. self-plucking), indicating inadequacies in the composition or presentation of feed (often highly processed). Parrot species with relatively large brains were most prone to oral and whole-body SB: the first empirical evidence that intelligence can confer poor captive welfare. Together, results suggest that more naturalistic diets would improve welfare, and that intelligent psittacines need increased cognitive stimulation. These findings should help improve captive parrot care and inspire further PCM research to understand species differences in responses to captivity.

Wildlife Trade Influencing Natural Parrot Populations on a Biodiverse Indonesian Island

Indonesia has been identified as the highest priority country for parrot conservation based on the number of species, endemics, and threats (trapping and smuggling). It is crucial to understand the current population status of parrots in the wild in relation to the illegal wildlife trade but the ecology and population dynamics of most parrot species in this region remain poorly understood. We conducted a parrot survey around an area of high biodiversity in the Manusela National Park, in Seram Island, Indonesia. We used a combination of fixed-radius point counts and fixed-width line transects to count multiple species of parrots. We recorded nearly 530 wild parrots from 10 species in and around Manusela National Park. The dominant parrot species were Eos bornea, Trichoglosus haematodus, and Geoffroyus geoffroyi. We applied the Savage selectivity index to evaluate poaching of parrot species in proportion to their abundance and which species had higher than expected poaching pressure. This study has important implications for the conservation status of endemic parrots (Cacatua moluccensis, Lorius domicella, and Eos semilarvata) and shows that parrots in the Manusela NP are largely threatened by poaching.

The Number and Distribution of Introduced and Naturalized Parrots

Parrots have been transported and traded by humans for at least the last 2000 years and this trade continues unabated today. This transport of species has involved the majority of recognized parrot species (300+ of 382 species). Inevitably, some alien species either escape captivity or are released and may establish breeding populations in the novel area. With respect to parrots, established but alien populations are becoming common in many parts of the world. In this review, we attempt to estimate the total number of parrot species introduced into the wild in non-native areas and assess how many of these have self-sustaining breeding populations. Based the public databases GAVIA, eBird, and iNaturalist, 166 species of Psittaciformes have been introduced (seen in the wild) into 120 countries or territories outside of the native range. Of these, 60 species are naturalized, and an additional 11 species are breeding in at least one country outside of their native range (86 countries or territories total). The Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) are the most widely distributed and successful of the introduced parrots, being naturalized in 47 and 26 countries or territories, respectively. Far and away, the United States and its territories support the greatest number of naturalized parrots, with 28 different species found in either the continental US, or Hawaii or Puerto Rico. Naturalized species as well as urbanized native species of parrots are likely to continue increasing in numbers and geographical range, and detailed studies are needed to both confirm species richness in each area as well mitigate potential ecological impacts and conflicts with humans.

Roadside Car Surveys: Methodological Constraints and Solutions for Estimating Parrot Abundances across the World

Parrots stand out among birds because of their poor conservation status and the lack of available information on their population sizes and trends. Estimating parrot abundance is complicated by the high mobility, gregariousness, patchy distributions, and rarity of many species. Roadside car surveys can be useful to cover large areas and increase the probability of detecting spatially aggregated species or those occurring at very low densities. However, such surveys may be biased due to their inability to handle differences in detectability among species and habitats. We conducted 98 roadside surveys, covering > 57,000 km across 20 countries and the main world biomes, recording ca. 120,000 parrots from 137 species. We found that larger and more gregarious species are more easily visually detected and at greater distances, with variations among biomes. However, raw estimates of relative parrot abundances (individuals/km) were strongly correlated (r = 0.86–0.93) with parrot densities (individuals/km2) estimated through distance sampling (DS) models, showing that variability in abundances among species (>40 orders of magnitude) overcomes any potential detectability bias. While both methods provide similar results, DS cannot be used to study parrot communities or monitor the population trends of all parrot species as it requires a minimum of encounters that are not reached for most species (64% in our case), mainly the rarest and more threatened. However, DS may be the most suitable choice for some species-specific studies of common species. We summarize the strengths and weaknesses of both methods to guide researchers in choosing the best–fitting option for their particular research hypotheses, characteristics of the species studied, and logistical constraints.