Increasing Survival of Wild Macaw Chicks Using Foster Parents and Supplemental Feeding

The use of foster parents has great potential to help the recovery of highly endangered bird species. However, few studies have shown how to successfully use these techniques in wild populations. Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao macao) in Perú hatch 2–4 chicks per nest but about 24% of all chicks die of starvation and on average just 1.4 of them fledge per successful nest. In this study we develop and test new techniques to increase survival of wild Scarlet Macaw chicks by reducing chick starvation. We hypothesized that using foster parents would increase the survival of chicks at risk of starvation and increase overall reproductive success. Our results show that all relocated macaw chicks were successfully accepted by their foster parents (n = 28 chicks over 3 consecutive breeding seasons) and 89% of the relocated chicks fledged. Overall, we increased fledging success per available nest from 17% (2000 to 2016 average) to 25% (2017 to 2019) and decreased chick death by starvation from 19% to 4%. These findings show that the macaw foster parents technique and post relocation supplemental feeding provide a promising management tool to aid wild parrot population recovery in areas with low reproductive success.

Study on the macrometry of gastrointestinal tract of wild west African Senegal parrot (Poicephalus senegalus versteri)

Parrots are ornamental birds that are found in the wild and those in domestication end up in animal units of schools and houses of the wealthy individuals. The wild African Senegal parrot population is at risk of extinction due to its high popularity with urban dweller. Despite their high popularity, there is scanty documentation of the anatomical features of its gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The Wild West African Senegal Parrots were caught around forested area of a farm settlement in Shika, Zaria, Kaduna state, in the Northern part of Nigeria. The mean body weight of the wild Senegal parrot was observed to be 120.50 ± 5.42 g. The mean weights of the GIT with content and without content were 18.01 ±4.80 g and 13.54 ± 5.51 g respectively which accounted for 12.95 % and 10.24 % of the total body mass. The mean weights (small and large intestines) were 2.10 ± 1.09 g and 0.70 ± 0.27 g. The caecum was not noticed and gall bladder had the least mean weight 0.17 ± 0.007 g. while the gizzard the highest of all mean weight 4.28 ± 2.25 g. The mean lengths (GIT, small and large intestines) were; 82. 61 ± 2.36 cm, 41.75 ± 2.97 cm and 18.06 ± 2.01 cm. The glandular area of the proventriculus was longer than the non glandular portion and the left liver was longer compared to the right 3.03 ± 1.53 cm. The ileum is the longest segment of the small intestine which constituted 22.90 ± 2.92 cm.Keywords: Macrometry, Gastrointestinal Tract, Senegal Parrots

Testing of microsatellite multiplexes for individual identification of Cape Parrots (Poicephalus robustus): paternity testing and monitoring trade

BackgroundIllegal trade in rare wildlife species is a major threat to many parrot species around the world. Wildlife forensics plays an important role in the preservation of endangered or threatened wildlife species. Identification of illegally harvested or traded animals through DNA techniques is one of the many methods used during forensic investigations. Natural populations of the South African endemic Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) are negatively affected by the removal of eggs and chicks for the pet trade.MethodsIn this study, 16 microsatellite markers specifically designed for the South African endemic Cape Parrot (P. robustus) are assessed for their utility in forensic casework. Using these 16 loci, the genetic diversity of a subset of the captive Cape Parrot population was also assessed and compared to three wild Cape Parrot populations.ResultsIt was determined that the full 16 locus panel has sufficient discriminatory power to be used in parentage analyses and can be used to determine if a bird has been bred in captivity and so can be legally traded or if it has been illegally removed from the wild. In cases where birds have been removed from the wild, this study suggests that a reduced 12 locus microsatellite panel has sufficient power to assign confiscated birds to geographic population of origin.DiscussionThe level of genetic diversity observed within the captive Cape Parrot population was similar to that observed in the wild populations, which suggests that the captive population is not suffering from decreased levels of genetic diversity. The captive Cape Parrots did however have double the number of private alleles compared to that observed in the most genetically diverse wild population. This is probably due to the presence of rare alleles present in the founder population, which has not been lost due to genetic drift, as many of the individuals tested in this study are F1–F3 wild descendants. The results from this study provide a suit of markers that can be used to aid conservation and law enforcement authorities to better control legal and illegal trade of this South African endemic.

Conservation Concern for the Deteriorating Geographical Range of the Grey Parrot in Cameroon

The need for information on Grey Parrot distribution and vegetation associations for informed management and policy decisions was the basis for this study. A nationwide survey of the Grey Parrot population and habitat status was carried out, using questionnaire and point count methods. From the results, the extent of the contemporary range of the parrots was restricted to Southern Cameroon, which harbours the rainforest. Regional parrot population means ranged from 3,487 parrots in the Littoral to 1,351,275 parrots in the East Regions. The extent of the contemporary range as a percentage of the whole country was 25.4% and as a percentage of the regions with rainforest was 44.5%. The historic range of the bird has been reduced by over 55.5%. Estimated percentage of forest lost per region ranged from 20.4% in the Centre to 57.1% in the East and South Regions. At a global level, Cameroon contributed 9% to the total extent of the range of the Grey Parrot in Africa. The range is increasingly fragmented, contracted, and lost through land-based socioeconomic activities. These degradation pressures on the range called for urgent conservation considerations for long-term survival of the parrot species and its associated biodiversity in Cameroon.

Vertical transmission of learned signatures in a wild parrot

Learned birdsong is a widely used animal model for understanding the acquisition of human speech. Male songbirds often learn songs from adult males during sensitive periods early in life, and sing to attract mates and defend territories. In presumably all of the 350+ parrot species, individuals of both sexes commonly learn vocal signals throughout life to satisfy a wide variety of social functions. Despite intriguing parallels with humans, there have been no experimental studies demonstrating learned vocal production in wild parrots. We studied contact call learning in video-rigged nests of a well-known marked population of green-rumped parrotlets ( Forpus passerinus ) in Venezuela. Both sexes of naive nestlings developed individually unique contact calls in the nest, and we demonstrate experimentally that signature attributes are learned from both primary care-givers. This represents the first experimental evidence for the mechanisms underlying the transmission of a socially acquired trait in a wild parrot population.

The St Vincent parrot, an endangered Caribbean bird

The future of the St Vincent parrot is seriously threatened. It is still captured for the pet trade, its forest habitat is being destroyed and the remnant populations are subject to natural catastrophes. In 1979 Mt Soufrière, the island's active volcano, erupted and many parrots died from the effects of toxic gases. In 1980 Hurrican Allen damaged forest in the east of the island. In 1982 the ICBP, concerned about the effect of these incidents on an already precarious parrot population, promoted an expedition from the University of East Anglia to investigate and FFPS was among those that helped finance it.