magazine of the world parrot trust psittascenetrinidad he was the perfect guide for our observations...

Supporting parrot conservation in the wild andpromoting parrot welfare in captivity.

Magazine of the World Parrot Trust

‘psittacine’ (pronounced ‘sit’a sin’) meaning ‘belonging or allied to the parrots’ or ‘parrot-like’

Celebrating our 50th Issue!

February 2002 No.50PsittaScene

Blue-throated Macaws

Cape Parrot News

Parrots That Bite

Kakapo Breeding Update

Cover Picture

Blue-throated Macaws (Araglaucogularis) on a nest palm.

Photo: Bent Pedersen

2 ■ PsittaScene February 2002, No 50

(August - October) is the burning ofgrass to improve the quality ofgrazing when the rainy season startsaround December.

The nestsiteEach morning we left the ranch atdawn (5.30 a.m.) taking 50 minutesto make our way along a gravel roadand through the savannah to a"palm island", where a pair of Blue-throated Macaw were raising twochicks in a nest prepared in amotacú palm (Attalea phalerata).The "Isla Paraba" (macaw island)measured around 300 x 250 m andwas dominated by Attalea phaleratapalms. The nest palm stood 25 m from theperiphery of the island and wasfree-standing but for the tips ofleaves from neighbouring palms.From here the macaws only neededa few strokes of their wings to reachthe nest palm. The top two metresof the nest palm were hollow, withtwo entrances positioned one metredown facing east and west. Weestimated a diameter of 55 cm at thenest chamber level.

Observations of theBlue-throated MacawsBlue-throated Macaws breed duringthe last half of the dry season(September - November) and sinceour observations took place duringmid October the chicks were already"big". We clearly heard two largerchicks when fed by the female.From our blind, 20 m from the nestpalm (to the east) and 6 m above theforest floor, we had excellent viewsof the birds while they movedaround in the area near the nest andat the nest itself. The greatestproblem for the photography was

Observations at an activenest of Blue-throatedMacaws in the BeniDepartment of Bolivia(Ara glaucogularis)Text and Photos By BENT AND BIRTHE PEDERSENWe had just left Santa Cruz in central Bolivia after having spent some time observing Red-fronted Macaws (Ararubrogenys). The wonderful sight of hundreds of these magnificent birds were still fresh in our minds when welanded at the town of Trinidad, capital of the Department of Beni and situated in the northern part of Bolivia.

Blue-throat Macaws (Ara glaucogularis) on a nest palm.

EditorRosemary Low,P.O. Box 100,Mansfield, Notts.,United KingdomNG20 9NZ

CONTENTSBlue-throated Macaws ....2-3Adelaide Zoo ..................4-5Ecotourism ......................6-7Biting ..............................8-9Wild and Captiveparrots ........................10-11Red-throated Lorikeet ......12Kakapo..............................13Cape Parrot ......................14Review of WPT..................15PsittaNews ..................16-17Info / Trade Ban Petition..18WPT Admin Page ..............19Parrots in the Wild ..........20

The World Parrot Trust does notnecessarily endorse any views orstatements made by contributorsto PsittaScene.It will of course consider articlesor letters from any contributors ontheir merits.Anyone wishing to reprint anyarticles seen in this magazineneeds permission from the authorand must state that it was copiedfrom PsittaScene.All contents © World Parrot Trust

The distance to the ranch is 120 kmand usually takes around 3 hours ofnon-stop driving. However, due tothe impressive abundance ofwildlife en route we took muchlonger in order to observe andphotograph rheas, storks, parakeets,capybaras, caimans and many otherspecies. The Blue-throated Macaw is endemicto this area, the "Llanos de Mojos"which is a seasonally-floodedsavannah with larger and smallerforest like "islands" of differentpalm species and mixed vegetation,rivers, streams and ponds. Hugeranches partly fence the areas andrun extensive cattle farming.Generally in this area cattle farmingand wildlife go well together.However, a major ecologicalproblem during the dry season

It was October 11, 2001, the time1pm and the weather warm andhumid when Mr Fellman Bogarthgreeted us upon arrival. Mr Bogarthis associated with "Green Bolivia"and with his in-depth knowledge ofthe area and wildlife north ofTrinidad he was the perfect guidefor our observations of the Blue-throated Macaws.

Savannah, wildlifeand cattle ranchesFrom Trinidad we headed northtowards the ranch San Miguel thatwas our base during ourobservations of the Blue-throatedMacaws. A reliable 4x4 pick up truckis essential for driving on the claylike "roads", which quickly turn to asea of mud when rain arrives.

PsittaScene February 2002, No 50 ■ 3

down the nest palm. They lookeddown to the chicks and chewedsome palm material at the top of thenest. Then both parents flew to thenest and chased the intruders awaywhen landing.

The parents were sitting quietly sideby side on the nest palm while theBlue and Gold Macaws were sittingin a tree close by, screaming for 20minutes before both pairs took off"in full noise" circling around thearea. Subsequently the Blue andGold Macaws disappeared while thebreeding pair flew to the"observation tree".

After this successful defence theBlue and Gold Macaws were nolonger seen at the site.

Return to TrinidadIn addition to the pressure on thenest site from the Blue and Gold

crawl down to the eastwardentrance, while the male in mostcases remained in the palm leavesabove the nest.Before entering the nest she pre-regurgitated a number of times andthen spent around 20 - 30 minutesfeeding and staying with the chicks.After feeding she left via thewestward hole and flew away withthe male. The chicks were fed every3 - 4 hours during the day.

‘Attack’ by a pair ofBlue and Gold MacawOne morning a pair of the larger andmore powerful Blue and Gold Macaw(Ara ararauna) suddenly arrived onthe nest palm while the Blue-throated Macaws were sitting in the"observation tree". The Blue and Gold Macaws spentaround 5 minutes crawling up and

the number and variety of hyper-aggressive insects that converted thefew uncovered areas of our bodiesinto countless itching spots.The pair spent a lot of time sittingtogether either in a tall "observationtree" around 50 m from the nestoverlooking the area, or in palmleaves adjacent to the nest palm.They were often preening but alwaysalert and responded to all unusualsights or noises by leaving the palmand circling the area while theirtypical scream penetrated the forest. When leaving the nest area forforaging they usually left with agreat deal of noise and stayed awayfor 2 hours at a time. Upon theirreturn they arrived quietly to the"observation tree" and laterproceeded either directly to the nestpalm or to the palm leaves above thenest. They always rested there for awhile before the female started to

Macaws we also experienced woodcutting in a palm island and grassburning, both of which seemobvious possible threats to longterm successful breeding of theBlue-throated Macaws.Other macaw species observedincluded Green-winged Macaw (Arachloroptera) and a large number ofChestnut-fronted (Ara severa) andYellow-collared Macaws (Propyrrhuraauricollis). Fortunately, we were ableto watch Chestnut-fronted Macaws ata couple of nest sites. After an exciting period ofobservations and photography atthe Blue-throated Macaw nest site,plus a great deal of birding wereturned to Trinidad where weenjoyed sights of several activenests of White-eyed (Aratingaleucophthalmus) and Dusky-headedParakeets (Aratinga weddellii)just outside the town.

Blue-throat Macaws (Ara glaucogularis) beside the nest palm. Red-fronted Macaws (Ara rubrogenys) perching in trees.

Local girl holding a Yellow-collared Macaw (Propyrrhura auricollis). Blue and Gold Macaws (Ara ararauna) attacking at the nest of the Blue-throated Macaws.


Macaws in FlightText and photos by PHIL DIGNEY, Superviser of birds andRYAN WATSON, Specialist bird keeper, Adelaide Zoo.

The display of birds within zoos and wildlife institutions has over the lasttwo decades become an evolving arena, driven by an increasinglyenvironmentally aware community. The traditional "cage "approach, whereone peered through wire to view a pair of birds morosely sitting on a bareperch, accompanied by little else other than a water bowl and feed dish, isnow barely tolerated. With this changing expectation, display of birds hasmoved towards more natural, landscaped exhibits, which are larger andhouse a number of mixed species. Then, as the immersion, or "up close andpersonal " concept unfolded walk-through exhibits materialized. Now, free

flight shows are proving to be not only extremely popular but also highlyeffective in promoting environmental awareness and empathy forconservation.

New ShowHere at Adelaide Zoo a recently established free-flight show featuring twoBlue and Gold Macaws (Ara ararauna) has brought another dimension to thedisplay of 180 bird species whilst being a highly successful forum for both thepromotion of macaw conservation and fund-raising for the World Parrot Trust.

Both birds flying from the presentation stage out through the crowd. After the flight show the public are invited to have their photo taken with birds.

Ryan Watson, bird trainer and manager of the show. Free-flying Blue and Gold Macaw on the central lawn.

Phil Digney.

Y K


Our two Blue and Golds wereacquired in February 2000 as sixweek old chicks and hand-raised bythe Bird Dept with the specific goalof producing young birds that weresuitable for free-flight training.They were named Charlie andMadidi, after Charles Munn themacaw researcher and Alto - MadidiNational Park in north-west Bolivia.Once weaned, Phil Ghamraoui andRyan Watson, bird trainers here atthe zoo, began training using thebasic food - motivation and positivereinforcement techniques. Initially

the birds were trained to acceptdaily weighing, this being achievedby attaching a T- perch to a set ofscales and rewarding the birds witha treat such as a peanut once theystepped up. This is the positivereinforcement principal where abird quickly learns a desiredbehaviour knowing that there willbe a reward afterwards. Trainingthen developed, with rewards forleaving the exhibit and flying to thestage area on the central lawn, thento various points around the lawnarea. The daily monitoring of

The final lines of the presentation are an appeal for funds to support World ParrotTrust work. In 8 months of appeal we have raised AUD$7,200 .

‘Charlie’ one of the macaws in the show.

The birds are released from their display aviary and they willingly fly directly tothe presentation stage, 300 metres away.

weight is important with training offree-flight birds as it involveslowering the birds' weight to a pointwhere they are motivated andfocused by food desire. Allowingthem to lose too much weight cancause health problems whilst notlosing enough will see a birddifficult to train. Once training iscomplete and as the birds maturethey can be maintained at normalbody weight.

Eventually, on the 11th December2000 the birds were fully trainedand ready for public shows. Thepresentation area on the centrallawn was complete, graphics werein place, and the media were invitedto the official launch. All fourcommercial television stations andthe state newspaper covered theevent and the birds flew perfectlyto a crowd of 200 people,mesmerizing them with their beautyand elegance in flight.

The ResultsSo how does the show, held dailysince December 11, 2000, supporteducation and conservation? Thefirst part of the 10 minute keeperpresentation informs the publicabout the background to Charlieand Madidi then goes on to discussthe plight of many of SouthAmerica’s endangered macaws suchas Lear’s (Anodorhynchus leari) ,Blue-throated (Ara glaucogularis)and Spix’s Macaws (Cyanopsittaspixii) and the impact of illegaltrade, rainforest destruction etc.Then, in the final part of the talk,

people are told of the wonderfulwork being achieved by The WorldParrot Trust; offered WPTmembership forms and encouragedto join. Finally, people are invitedup to the presentation area wherefor a gold coin donation ($1-2) theycan hand feed Charlie and Madidiand have their photo taken with thebirds. Donations are collected in thetwo WPT donation tins which werequested from WPT along withbrochures and membership forms.The flying of the birds, whilstmaking people aware of the veryreal threats facing macaws in thewild, has proved highly effective inencouraging support. In the 7months of appealing for WPTdonations at time of writing thisarticle, the show had raised AUD$6,000. This will equate to about$10,000 in the first year. All moneyraised is going directly to the WPTfor direction into the Great GreenMacaw Fund.

The show is a fine example ofcaptive birds playing a valuableconservation role. To this pointapproximately 45,000 people haveenjoyed a macaw "experience" andare now much more aware andeducated about macawconservation, whilst an importantmacaw project receives muchneeded funding. This all contributesto the ground swell of publicsupport which is so necessary if wereally are to prise macaws from thejaws of extinction throughchanged attitudes and values.


There are three messages in thefollowing article that may be ofinterest to PsittaScene readers.• The first has to do with how

effective conservation actuallyhappens on the ground. Valuablelong term conservation almostalways involves changingpeoples' behaviour, whether thatis how they get their food, howthey manage their wild areas, orhow they recreate. If you'relucky, there may be a win-winsolution to be found and thecritical act is to simply presentthis winning scenario to the keyplayers. More often, sadly, toprotect a species or a place in ameaningful way includes makingsome people unhappy. TheSandoval story is a great exampleof how this has worked in a realcase scenario, including thehistory of the families involved,the local and regional politics,and even the legal battles behindpreserving this spectacular lake.

• The second message has to dowith ecotourism and how it gets

By CHARLES MUNN Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, Tropical NatureThis article tells the story of Sandoval Lake Lodge (SLL), the only jungle lodge in Tambopata, Peru that has either hot showers, a lakeside view, or alarge palm swamp full of hundreds of Red-bellied Macaws (Ara manilata). The lake boasts the most variety and abundance of wildlife in theTambopata area, including a family of 8-11 Giant Otters, 400-800 chattering Red-bellied Macaws (Ara manilata), usually dozens or scores of largemacaws each day (Blue and Gold, Scarlet, and Greenwing), six species of monkeys, and hundreds of punk-crested Hoatzins. I have never seen moreRed-bellied Macaws in one place in my life, and they are comical and hypercommunicative.

Ecotourism LodgeHow Conservation Groups worked to save a beautiful lake in therainforest of Tambopata, Peru

implemented. There are manyways to get people out intonatural area and show themsome ecology, but the questionof how 'green' is your ecotourismoften comes down to the detailsof, who owns the lodge, wheredid the employees come from,where did they get the materialsto build the lodge, what type offood do they serve, how do theydeal with power, water, andwaste issues. The Sandoval storyilluminates the history of theplace and how it came to be builtby the families who built it.

• And the third message is thatwe're arranging trips to this partof Peru this year and next forWPT members. So we're hopingthat now you've had a chance tolearn about the history of theplace, you'll be eager to visitSandoval Lake and see thespectacular lake and the hugeflocks of Red-bellied Macaws thatemerge from the palm swampeach morning and fly overheadas you float along peacefully on

a hand carved catamaran. We'resure you'll agree, it's quite aplace!

In the early 1950's, Mr. CesarMejia, who is from Pucallpa,decided to settle on theunoccupied shores of the two milelong Sandoval Lake with his youngwife, Marcelina. Mrs. Mejia is apure-blooded Amazonian Indianoriginally from the Ixiamas areajust north of the Madidi NationalPark in Bolivia. They had anumber of children and thrivedthere, collecting Brazil nuts,fishing, hunting, and openingsome subsistence agriculturalplots.

The first jungle tour lodges in thesouthern Amazon of Peru openedin the Puerto Maldonado area in1975 and 1977, the first on theTambopata River, and the secondabout 30 minutes by outboardmotor downstream on the Madrede Dios River from the riversideentrance to the trail to SandovalLake. This latter lodge developedan itinerary that for its two-nightpackage included as its majorrainforest excursion a morningwalk and boat ride on Sandoval.By 1979, thousands of foreigntourists visited lodges each yearon the Madre de Dios River, eachvisiting Sandoval Lake for onemorning. The Mejia clan barelybenefited at all from this tourismflow to their lake. Between 1988and 1990, the owner of an existinglodge attempted to take overpieces of the high ground landoccupied and owned by the Mejiaclan, which had expanded toinclude many families spanningthree generations. This clan livedalong virtually all the high groundproperty around the lake. Theentrepreneur's attempts to obtainland did not involve fairnegotiations toward land purchaseor rental, but simply attempts toobtain land by influencinggovernment officials in PuertoMaldonado and Lima. None ofthese attempts succeeded, as eachtime the Mejias got help and

Clay lick near Sandoval with Mealy Amazons, Blue-headedand Severe Macaws. Photo: Jamie Gilardi

defended their lands fromusurpation. Several times, thishelp came from Selva Surconservation group in Cusco. In 1994, the Mejias approachedSelva Sur because a husband ofone of the grown daughters of Mrand Mrs Mejia wished to leave theclan and sell his 40 hectares (100acres) of lake front property to ahotel owner from PuertoMaldonado. The hotelier wanted tobuild a lodge on the shores ofSandoval Lake, which is generallyconsidered the most beautiful ofthe five lakes in the greaterTambopata area. The Mejias askedSelva Sur for a loan to buy out thedeparting ex-son-in-law. The Mejiasworried that if the hotelier built alodge on their lake, they would bemarginalized and frustrated.Resentment from this situationeasily could have led to the Mejiasintentionally hunting near thehotelier's lodge as a form ofsabotage. As a nonprofitconservation group, Selva Surcould not lend money for landpurchase unless the purchaseinvolved a guarantee ofconservation. Selva Sur asked theMejias if they would like to haveSelva Sur, a nonprofit conservationgroup, buy that land from thedeparting ex-son-in-law and build alodge there, making the Mejia clan49% partners by making them anuncollateralized loan at U.S. primerate interest. The Mejias agreed tothis proposal, whereupon Selva Surobtained a grant from the WorldParks Endowment and bought theex-son-in-law’s land.

True to its word, in 1995-1997,Selva Sur built Sandoval LakeLodge (SLL), a 50-bed lodge withprivate bathrooms and hot showersright on the shores of SandovalLake. The location is clearly themost scenic and wildlife-rich ofany of the 15 rainforest lodges ofTambopata. Additionally, SelvaSur, which in 1990 convinced thePeruvian government to create the1.47 million hectare (10% largerthan Connecticut) Tambopata-

Charlie Munn.

unpunished as long as you stayout of the way of important peopletrying to make money.The final business deal with theMejias is really a very soft loan -more of a gift than a loan. SelvaSur owns 51% of the lodge, whilefive grown members of the Mejiaclan (and their spouses) own 49%,or 9.8% for each of the five. Theagreement specifies that the Mejiasonly have to pay their primeinterest loans if the lodge makes aprofit. Thus, if Sandoval LakeLodge makes a profit (which it willfor the first time in 2001), thenhalf of the families' share of theprofit will go into their pockets,and the other half will be used topay down their debt with Selva Sur.If the lodge goes bankrupt, theMejias lose nothing because theloans are uncollateralized-that is,they are not guaranteed with theMejias houses or lands orbelongings other than the lodgeitself. In 2001, Sandoval LakeLodge earned a greater share of theTambopata tourism market thaneither of the original (26- and 24-year-old) lodges of the region byreceiving 2,500 guests andgrossing about $200,000, 12% ofwhich was profit. Peru Verde,Tropical Nature, and Selva Sur nowoperate for conservation ratherthan for personal profit a networkof 12 leading eco-lodges in thetropical forests Peru, Brazil, andEcuador.For more information, contact TropicalNature at: +1 202 466 0570([email protected] www.tropicalnaturetravel.com)

Candamo Reserved Zone, used themost ecological of all woodsources for this lodge: naturaldriftwood mahogany ("cedro" -Cedrela odorata, Meliaceae) floatedall the way from Manu NationalPark to Puerto Maldonado. Noother lodge in the Tambopata areais built principally of thisecologically-produced wood, whichis unique in the world. The use ofthis ecological "cedro" cost tens ofthousands of dollars more thanwould have simply buying thiswood from felled trees - the"normal" source used by all otherlodges.From 1996 through the abrupt endof the Fujimori Government inNovember 2000, owners of severalexisting lodges colluded with acorrupt government minister to trywithout success to stop Selva Surfrom building and operating SLL.Their motives in each case weresimple fear of the superior locationand wildlife viewing offered bySandoval Lake Lodge. Theseattempts to sabotage SLL have costSelva Sur much more in legal feesand related defense mechanismsthan the total cost of this $200,000lodge - a terrible waste ofresources that would have beenmuch better used to protect theenvironment or to create morejobs in the Maldonado area than topay for batteries of lawyers. As aresult of this eye-openingexperience, Selva Sur, its nationalpartner group, Peru Verde, and itsinternational partner group,Tropical Nature, have all learnedan important lesson. That lessonis that creating jobs for localpeople to conserve the rainforestis a good deed that only goes

Example of a Lodge in local area. Photo: Jamie Gilardi

BirdsFirst Pet BirdConferenceThe second conference organised by BirdsFirst in Birdkeeping took place onOctober 28 at Stratford, UK supported by Northern Parrots. It was a well-attended and informative meeting. Rosemary Low was the first speaker. Shedescribed advantages and characteristics of the various parrot species kept ascompanions. She said that Grey Parrots (Psittacus) are usually too complexpsychologically to be a good choice for the first-time parrot owner.

Neil Forbes. Photos: Rosemary Low Sally Blanchard.

Sue Baddeley from Sparsholt College,Hampshire, then spoke about theaviary to be built there in whichresearch on the behaviour of GreyParrots will be carried out. Non-humanised, wild-caught Greys will bemaintained in an aviary 10m squareand at least 3m high within a barn.They will not be able to see peopleand will be monitored by video. GregGlendell mentioned that the aim is tostudy the innate language of Greysby recording their signals andinteractions in a small flock,resulting in an ethogram.One of the two speakers from theUSA, Tim Wright described aspects ofhis work in studying Yellow-napedAmazons (Amazona auropalliata) inthe wild. A large communal roost wasused by 200 Amazons whose dialectswere studied. Pairs 'duet' aroundtheir nesting area throughout theyear, perhaps as a territorial defence.They will attack speakers that playthe duet of another pair. The youngof these Amazons stay with theirparents for up to one year.Well respected avian vet Neil Forbes,FRCVS, gave an absorbing talk onfeather plucking, which coveredevery conceivable cause. In hisopinion, the problem is usuallymulti-factorial. In neotropical parrots,an allergy might be to blame, even anallergy to sunflower seed, or to housedust. Few vets in the UK test forspecific allergies. Mites are veryrarely to blame, but covering thecage with a white sheet at night willreveal their presence. Endoparasites,especially giardia in Cockatiels(Nymphicus hollandicus), can alsocause feather-plucking. The birddevelops an allergy to the parasite inits gut. Mr Forbes said that he cansmell tobacco on about 10% of thefeather-plucked birds that he sees.(Please do not allow smoking nearyour parrot!) Poor diet, such as a high

fat content in some species, resultsin liver disease and feather-plucking.Therefore the liver function shouldbe checked. Some other causes are anair sac infection resulting in pain andirritation on the parrot's back,chlamydiosis, and metal poisoning. Itis very important to consult an avianvet if your bird plucks itself. Malnutritionis another common cause. Note thatsunflower seed and peanuts containmore than four times as much fat asa Mars bar. Pet birds need low energydiets - not sunflower seed.Greg Glendell spoke on the welfare ofbirds offered for sale and mentionedsome of the laws that should protectthem. Unfortunately, the laws are notenforced - and local governments areoften at fault. There is also a culturalproblem in that the intelligence andneeds of parrots are seldomrecognized. Would the RSPCA toleratedogs and cats offered for sale atshows in tiny cages? He said that weneed 'a new kind of aviculture' inwhich it is recognised that birds aresensitive creatures.Finally, Sally Blanchard spoke on thecompanion parrots who are 'clearlymore intelligent than any of us'! Wehave to learn to manipulate them andto read their behaviour. With ascreaming cockatoo, for example,when we see that it is becomingagitated, we have to divert itsattention before it starts to scream.Talk to it - and when it raises itswings, as cockatoos do, clap and say'Good boy!' She said "The smarter abird is, the more trouble you havewith it. If its basic needs are not met,it will be unhappy." Poorly socialisedhand-reared young birds are the mostlikely to become neurotic. Regardingbiting, she said "This is the simplestproblem to solve. Biting occursbecause you have broken the rules".You must anticipate your parrot'smood.



Biting is not for the birds!By STEVE MARTIN"Biting is just part of having a parrot as a pet." Does that sound familiar? It should. It is a very common attitudeassociated with companion parrot ownership. However, I feel the opposite is true. A parrot owner should strive tonever get bitten. That is a pretty bold statement for such a common problem. The fact is that biting is somethingparrots learn to do in captivity and not something that is normally seen in the wild. That's right, they don't bite eachother in the wild, at least not hard enough to make another parrot bleed.

In the past 15 years or so, I haveinterviewed many parrot fieldresearchers (personalcommunications: Brice, February1994, Munn, July 1998, Gilardi,February 1999, English, November2000, May, May 2001) about bitingand dominance. With a combinedtotal of over 35 years of fieldresearch, only two of theseresearchers have ever seen or heardof a parrot biting another parrothard enough to make it bleed. Bothof these incidences were associatedwith nest holes. One incidentinvolved two birds fighting over anest cavity and the other involved aparrot attacking a young bird in thenest in an attempt to take over thenest.

Parrots very rarely bite each otherin the wild. However, they oftenshow aggression to protectresources like territory, mates,desirable perches, food items, etc.

These interactions are generallylimited to body language like theraising of the head feathers or asubtle look of the eye. Sometimesthe aggression escalates to vocaldisplays such as growling or evenmore overt body language likethrusting the beak forward in ajousting fashion. In the wild, thisbody language is usually enough todeter an intruding bird and avoidnegative physical contact with theresource holder.

So, why do parrotsbite in captivity?1 if you put an animal in an

unnatural environment you canexpect some unnatural behaviour.

2 all behaviour is a product ofinstinct or experience.

A bite from a parrot falls into oneof these two categories. Some bitingincidents are innate and some are

learned. Many parrots have beenforced to bite out of fear, or self-defence. Humans tend to beaggressive in the manner in whichthey approach and pick up theirparrots. This bold, aggressiveaction may cause a bird to bite outof fear. Most parrots do not havethe option to fly away like theirwild counterparts and aresometimes pushed to the point thatbiting is the only way they know todefend themselves or express theirdispleasure.

Before biting, most captive parrotsdisplay various body language andvocalizations to express theirfeelings, just like wild parrots.However, few people ever notice theslight glance of an eye or thealmost imperceptible tightening ofthe feathers on the parrot's headthat holds so much informationabout its thoughts and feelings.After all, human communication isgenerally very bold and obvious,and has evolved to put much moreemphasis on verbal communication,than body language. Many, if notmost, parrot owners are obliviousto their parrot's subtle attempts atcommunication. They fail to noticethe slick feathers, or quick headmovements, as the nervous birdinstinctively looks for an escapepath, a common avoidancebehaviour. Often, the first signs ofnervousness most parrot ownersnotice are the obvious escapeattempts or the growls and othervocal displays of discomfort andfear. By this time, they have alreadymissed the myriad of signals thathave preceded this most obviousshow of discomfort and havepushed the bird to the brink ofaggression.

Another important point to consideris most of the information availableto parrot owners today does notencourage sensitivity. In fact, someof the most common teachingstoday encourage dominance andaggression when working with aparrot. It is common to hear andread things like "make sure heknows you're the boss," and "don't

let him get away with that," etc. Thepopular trend is to dominate petparrots rather than buildpartnerships. This aggressiveapproach only encourages morebiting incidents as birds are forcedto bite to express themselves totheir confidant but insensitiveowners.

Parrots bite for thefollowing mainreasons:Play; It is an instinctive behaviourfor parrots to investigate a person'sfinger or other body part with theirstrong beak. This is the way natureprovides information to the youngbird about its environment. It is theresponsibility of the owner to tellthe bird just how hard it is allowedto "investigate" fingers and otherobjects. A loud and sharp "NO" issimilar in effect to the vocalizationthat an adult parrot would use inthe wild to communicate to ayoungster that it has exceeded itsbounds.Territorial Aggression; Parrotsinstinctively protect territories bothin the wild and in captivity. In thewild a parrot bonds with oneindividual and will protect theirnesting territory from intruders.Captive parrots also bond with oneindividual, often a human. Whenthis happens, they can aggressivelydefend a territory from intruders.They can easily learn that biting isthe only, or at least the best, way todrive human intruders away fromtheir territory.Fear Aggression; As mentionedearlier, many parrots have bittenout of fear of a human forcinghimself or herself on the nervousbird. This is also an instinctivereaction that is closely associatedwith survival. If the bird were in thewild it would simply fly away.However, most captive birds aredenied the ability to escape and areleft with biting as their last resort.Learned Aggression; Some parrotslearn to bite for a desired response.

Steve Martin.

Behaviour issues:

This learned aggression isdisplayed in many ways. One birdcould learn that a light bite to thearm of its owner when he or she iseating a donut may result in a pieceof the tasty treat being offered tostop the annoying nibbling. Another

bird may learn that a bite to thefinger will cause a person to leaveit alone on top of the cage or on aperson's shoulder, even if it is forjust long enough for the person togo get a dowel or perch to pick thebird up with. Once a parrot bites a


A parrot’s ‘body language’ indicates when it is going to bite. Photo: S. Martin

Top illustrator helpswild Palm Cockatoos

By MIKE REYNOLDS, Chairman WPT

Following a request from one of our new trustees, Victoria Ewart, thecelebrated author and illustrator Quentin Blake has kindly providedus with five signed copies of his hilarious book ‘Cockatoos’.This comes just at the time when we have decided to continue ourWPT funding of vital research into the life-style of the Palm Cockatoo(Probosciger aterrimus) in Cape York, Australia as very little isknown.We have previously provided AUS$10,000 a year for three years, buthave now been asked to extend our support for a fourth year.AUS$10,000 is about £3,775 orUS$2,700 - this is quite a large newcommitment for WPT, and it’s neededright away.What we would like to do is invitedonations towards this commitment,and reward the first five donors(minimum £50) with a signed copy ofQuentin Blake’s ‘Cockatoos’.Please consider helping with thisimportant research task, and having thepleasure of owning what is somethingof a collector’s item.

person for the first time, it may beon its way to learning that this is avalid way to communicate withhumans. Any behaviour that isreinforced is likely to be repeated.

To avoid being bitten:Start by developing a positiverelationship with the bird. Try toavoid forcing the bird to doanything it doesn't want to do. Thisis a very difficult concept for manyparrot owners to understand,especially when the informationavailable to parrot owners suggestsdominating the bird. Plus, manyhumans have a fairly goodreinforcement history associatedwith dominating other animals,such as dogs, and even otherhumans. It is a communicationstrategy that seems, at least tothem, to work fairly well. Goingagainst this natural tendency andworking to establish a relationshipwith the bird that is built onpositive interactions is the first steptoward a partner relationship witha parrot.

Next, the bird owner should developsensitivities to the bird'scommunication. He or she should

learn how to read its body languageand listen to what it tells them.Then, they should care about whatit says and allow the bird to be apartner in the relationship insteadof an object. They should learn toask the bird to do things and avoidtelling it. After all, rarely doesanything, except a predator, everforce a parrot in the wild to dosomething it doesn't want to do.

One more thing thatwill enhance aparrot owner’srelationship withtheir parrrot:Taking responsibility for each bite.Parrot owners should understandthat biting is something that theyhave either forced a bird to do ortaught it to do. When they acceptthis responsibility they will begin tosee that their scars are signs ofinsensitivity and not badges ofcourage. They will also begin to laythe foundation for a morerewarding partnership withtheir companion bird.

NEWPalm Cockatoo

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50 million captive parrots and50 million wild parrots;what can we learn from each population to secure the healthy future of all parrots?By JAMIE GILARDIThere is an ongoing and somewhat light-hearted argument among ornithologists about which bird species is the most abundant in the world? Differentfactions of course have their different theories - often a sparrow or a storm petrel is suggested - and given the vagueness of the population estimates, theargument rages on with no end in sight. Soon after I started working for the Trust, Mike Reynolds asked me off-hand how many wild parrots I thought therewere in the world. No doubt he was amused by my puzzled reaction, never having contemplated such a question. Naturally it's hard enough to guess thenumber of individuals of any one species, far less a total for all 350 species! We hemmed and hawed over this for a bit, agreed on which are the most commonspecies and roughly what their numbers were, and came up with a slightly-educated - but still highly suspect - estimate of 50 million wild parrots. What struckme at the time was the fact that this figure seems to be a number I've heard on many occasions as an estimate of the number of parrots in cages around theworld (a number that may be equally difficult to estimate, if for very different reasons). But whatever the estimate of either population, the interesting part tome is that there may be roughly the same numbers of parrots in the wild as there are in captivity. How do these populations compare - do they share the samefate, do they share the same threats, and perhaps more importantly, how can we help ensure that what we learn about each population helps save the other?Let's start by asking how knowledgeof the wild birds can help those ofus dealing with captive birds in anycontext, such as breeding, training,pet care, and rescue. As we allknow, wild parrots are animals thatevolved in a specific part of theworld and in a specific habitat type.These habitats include anastounding array of environments,from the driest of deserts, to thehigh Andes and Himalayas, to all ofthe major tropical rainforests of theworld. If we want to know the bestway to care for any captive parrotspecies, it's very helpful to knowwhere the bird came from in the wild,because in most cases, these birdsare no more than one or two generationsremoved from the wild state.So a first step is to determine thebird's physical environment -whether it is a Conure from thehighlands of Peru or a Senegal fromthe savannahs of Africa. Tounderstand this environment, askyourself what are the extremes ofheat and cold, how humid is theplace at various times of the year,when in that year do the wild birdsexperience rainfall, how long are thedays and nights throughout theyear? These are all the basic factorsthat make up an animal's physicalenvironment and they can be criticalto its well being. Naturally, we can'treplicate the exact habitat of thesebirds in our houses and backyards,but a clear understanding of thebirds' wild environment can helpexplain and solve behavioural andreproductive issues in captivity.Two other sets of questions focuson the ecology of the birdsthemselves - their social andnutritional biology. In the wild, dothe birds move from place to placein large flocks like budgies orCockatiels, or do they move aboutin family groups like most Macaws?Do they roost in large aggregations,like African Greys and manyAmazons? What does this mean forhow you house your birds: are theyin a flock, a pair, or solitary? Andalthough most parrots are

monogamous, some appear to showsome interesting social behaviour atthe nest, such as Golden Conuresand Eclectus, so a breeding effortmay include more than just the oneadult pair. Again, what does thismean for the social environment foryour birds, both in the breeding andnon-breeding season?

Of course one of the recurrentissues in caring for parrots is howto feed them a healthy diet. Whilemany of the nutritional challengesof captive bird husbandry in the20th century are thankfully behindus, there is still much to learn abouthow to feed parrots - especially ifwe expect them to live for manydecades. As a graduate student, Istudied the nutritional aspects ofparrot diets in Peru and hoped thatthis research would help improvethe diets of captive birdseverywhere. But the question turnsout to be more complex than Ithought - yes I did learn a lot aboutwild parrot diets and I can tell youvery specifically what their wildfoods contain in terms of protein,fat, sodium, and calcium, etc., butthe key word there is 'wild.' Whenwild birds fly, they often do so formany miles at a stretch and they doso with little apparent effort. In

contrast, I can recall as a kid howmy budgies might slip out of thecage, fly across the room and arrivethere gasping for breath as thoughthey'd just run a marathon. Let'sface it, very few captive birds havethe opportunity to maintain thepeak physical fitness of a wild bird.Consequently, it makes little senseto feed them the same super highenergy diet that the wild birdsthrive on. So, the specific dietaryinformation from the wild is notdirectly applicable.But many observations of wildparrot diets are useful in guidinghow we feed our birds. Manybirds, for instance, eat flowers,wood, bark, soil, and insect larvae -not exactly the sort of thing you'dexpect from a classic frugivore, butworth knowing perhaps wheninterpreting your birdsconsumption of various parts ofyour house and yard. And we alsoare learning a lot about what wildparrots feed their chicks, and ofcourse the chick-rearingenvironment is nearly identical inboth places.So, short of us all going back toschool to become a parrot biologist,how does one learn about the wildcounterparts of ones' captive birds?

Probably the quickest way to start isto read very closely the appropriatesections of Forshaw's Parrots of theWorld (3rd edition) and the morerecent text by Tony Juniper andMike Parr, Parrots: a Guide to theParrots of the World. Those aregreat general references which willget you a good portion of the waythere and point you to specificreferences on your species. Andnow that most of us have webaccess, try typing either thecommon name or Latin name ofyour bird into one of the searchengines, such as Google.com.If the species is threatened withextinction, there should also be aspecific section of the Parrot ActionPlan devoted to the state of the birdin the wild and steps required forits recovery (available for freedownload or to buy a hard copy onwww.worldparrottrust.org). If youhave a bird that is not common incaptivity, you may have to digdeeper and perhaps look at a better-studied bird that is closely related.Of course, these references are justa first step. You'll then have to takewhat you learn about the birds'range and do some research on thephysical environment there, so youcan think more deeply about yourbirds' needs and your options formimicking that environment in yourhome. But the ultimate step, and by far themost exciting step of all, is to go seethe wild birds on their home turf.While this isn't always affordable,more often than not, a trip toexperience the wild birds first handturns out to be a once-in-a-lifetimeexperience, which is well worthsaving for. Just hearing these birdsscreeching back and forth across theforest or flying as a flock from onehorizon to the other can't help butbring you a new perspective on yourown bird at home. And spending afew days in its environment speaksvolumes about what your bird is'designed for,' as well as identifyingthe threats these animals face on aday-to-day basis: threats from

Pet owners should learn about the habits of the species they keep. Are they flockbirds, like Cockatiels?


weather, predators, diseases, and ofcourse humans.So, why should we look to the wildbirds to learn about and help saveour captive birds? To put it simply,our 'captive birds' are essentiallywild birds, often removed only oneor two generations from the wild.With the exception of budgies,Cockatiels, and a few other species,parrots are not domesticatedanimals, in the sense that theyhaven't gone through tens orhundreds of generations of selectivebreeding to live compatibly withhumans. They haven't beenmoulded to fit our lifestyles, to eatsimple diets, to live alone in a cagewhile we run off to work for mostwaking hours of the day, to livewithout flight, and to live without a24-7 mate, their family, and theirflock.I enjoy asking people, "How manyspecies of domestic dog there are inthe world?" The answer of course isonly one. Horses 1. Cows 1.Chickens 1. Parrots 350! Thesedomestic animals have been bred forcenturies to thrive in a humancontext; parrots have not. That said,parrots are remarkably flexible birdsand many species are clearly capableof making these adjustments verywell. But if we think of these birdsas wild animals that have madesome big adjustments to live withus, we'll be much better able tointerpret and respond adaptivelywhen we're faced with any of thefrequent challenges of keeping ourbirds happy and healthy.But what about the fate of the wildbirds; is that fate somehow linked tothe fates of the 50 million or sobirds in cages around the world? Myanswer would be an unequivocal,YES! Perhaps the most obviousreason is that these captive birds aredeeply important to the people whocare for them, so they create a verylarge and natural constituency of

concern for all parrots, captive andwild. More than anyone, those wholive with parrots know whatremarkable animals these parrotsare, what feats of intelligence andgrace they show on a daily basis.When it comes to thinking aboutwild parrots, there are literally tensof millions of people around theworld who have a direct link tothese birds.In the past, parrot conservationistshave viewed bird owners as simplythe last step in the 'pet trade' whichhas threatened many wild species.So the goal has been to work towarda reduction or elimination of thistrade. There is of course a greatdeal of truth in this perspective andthere are reasonable estimates ofover a million wild-caught birdsbeing bought and sold each year. Asyou know, there has been aremarkable effort to curb trade herein the US. The 1992 Wild BirdConservation Act converted the USAfrom the largest importer of wild-caught birds to a non-importer ofwild-caught birds, virtuallyovernight. But the amazing part tome is that this Act only happenedbecause a coalition of peopleincluding conservationists, animalwelfare advocates, and birdenthusiasts worked together tomake a change. But there is a "rest of the story" thatfew people have heard. At the endof one of the last Senate Hearings onthis Act, the Committee Chair closeddiscussion because he said therewas someone he absolutely had tomeet. He directed attention to anextremely tame Goffin's Cockatoo(Cacatua goffini) in the room whohad been patiently listening. Thenthe bird proceeded to walk fromSenator to Senator, rolling over intheir laps, and clearing winning overtheir hearts in a way that humantestimony never could. Not only didthe Act pass, it passed by a

unanimous vote in both houses ofCongress! So, the simple fact that so many ofus share our lives with parrotsmeans that these captive birds are acritical factor in all parrot politics -to ignore these birds in trying toconserve the wild birds would be tothrow the baby out with thebathwater. But there are severalequally compelling reasons forpeople who seek to save wildparrots to build links to captiveanimals and their caretakers -reasons that are playing a growingrole in conservation.

Dollars from tourismNaturally we feel there are betterways to 'use' these wildliferesources than to simply 'harvest'them from the wild - the most viableuse is the one I mentioned earlier:ecotourism. If even 5% of birdowners went to see wild tropicalbirds each year, this would generateliterally billions of dollars for theconservation of these birds in thewild. If ecotourism is done in a waythat benefits local people, it createsclear and effective economicincentives for these people toprotect and save their own wildlife.It's also remarkable how much prideyou see in local people when theysee 'rich' people from all over theworld coming to see those bigscreaming birds in their back yards -the locals start to view and valuetheir wildlife in a whole new way.And of course, watching andlearning from wildlife is critical tothe biologists seeking to study andsave these birds as well.Unfortunately, many wild parrotsare very hard to view andconsequently hard to study usingstandard ornithological methods.But with parrots, we have thepotential to live among these 'wild'animals, to experience first-handtheir daily rhythms and rituals, and

to be deeply integrated with theircomplex social systems. For thoseof us who have struggled to studywild parrots, and generally feellucky to even see the birds for anylength of time, these captiveindividuals provide a window on theparrot social world that few wildliferesearchers have.Another useful link is that theparrot husbandry wisdom that hasaccumulated over the years hasbecome an essential part of manyparrot conservation projects.Whether that involves an avianveterinarian studying the diseasesof wild parrots, or a nutritionspecialist helping with the diets oftemporarily captive birds slated forrelease, or a breeder's consultationon methods of manipulating wildclutches for maximum reproductiveoutput, knowledge from the realm ofthe captive parrot has become anintegral part of many parrotconservation projects. As in anymultidisciplinary collaboration, it'snot easy for people from suchdisparate backgrounds to worktogether in complete harmony, andmany of these collaborations haverequired thick skins all round, butby-and-large the fundamental focuson 'what's best for the birds'generally wins. Finally, anyone willing to share theirlife with an animal as colourful,intelligent, destructive, loud,conniving, and hilarious as a parrothas got to be a good-hearted andgenerous person. And it is thisgenerosity, which has created andsustained the World Parrot Trust, thewelfare work, and the conservationwork we've done over the last twelveyears. Without captive birds, therewould be no Trust. Clearly ourprincipal job at the Trust is toclarify and build these strong linksbetween the captive and wild birdsin hopes of protecting all parrots.Thank you for supporting us inour efforts to do so.

A Goffin’s Cockatoo won the hearts of senators. Photo: Rosemary Low Can you provide your bird with foods that mimic what your parrot would eat in nature?


Red-throated Lorikeet in the wild. Photo: Dr William Beckon

Searching for theRed-throated Lorikeet(Charmosyna amabilis)

By KIRSTY SWINNERTONAleksandra Maljkovic(assistant) and I have been in Fiji now for nearly twomonths, and we have just returned from the field. We landed on the mainisland, Viti Levu, and made a base in the capital city of Suva. We are workingwith the National Trust of Fiji and our first two weeks were spent meetingpeople and organising everything necessary for our field surveys of the Red-throated Lorikeet. We collected our two off-road dirt bikes, which wemanaged to buy second-hand though they are virtually new, and headed offinto the field on 23rd November. Our first destination was the CentralHighlands of Viti Levu at a site called Monasavu, where we spent the nextmonth. The trip up was a little hair-raising on the bikes. It took five hoursand 100 kms of hard driving on a dirt road that at times seemed much like aflower bed the soil was so thick, and towards the end it was like driving upthe side of a slate quarry.The Central Highlands have some ofthe best native forest left in Fiji andis the only area where the Red-throated Lorikeet has been seen withany regularity. Regularity is a bit ofa misnomer however, the lastreliable sighting was in 1993. But itseemed like a good place to start.The area we surveyed ranges from700 m to 1,300 m and is the wettestpart of the island, receiving up to9,000 mm of rain a year. In thecentre is a hydro-electric powerstation that supplies 60% of VitiLevu's electricity. There is a smallteam of people living there and wehad been given the use of themanagers flat. This was so wellequipped (hot showers, washingmachine, tumble drier, microwave!)that we really didn't feel like it was

fieldwork. During the month'ssurvey we also camped in areasfarther afield to cover more ground.To carry out our survey, we havebeen doing canopy watches fromvantage points overlooking theforest. As the lorikeets are canopyfeeders and fast flyers, we felt thatthis was the most likely way to seebirds. As usual in the tropics, welost several days to heavy rain andthick, low cloud where the visibilitydropped to about 10 m. We haveseen most of Fiji's endemic birdspecies, including lots of CollaredLories, Masked Shining Parrots andeven the Fiji Peregrine Falcon, whichis currently estimated at about 50pairs. But we are sorry to say thatwe have not seen a single Red-throated Lorikeet, nor heard any

definite calls from them. This hasbeen very disappointing, but we stillhave many other sites to survey yetso only time will tell.

In addition to looking for thelorikeet, we have been investigatingwhy it might be so rare. Fiji has thefamiliar gamut of introducedspecies: rats, lesser Indianmongoose, feral cats, feral pigs,mynah birds (two species here), red-vented bulbuls and even feral goatsand deer on some islands. Rats havebeen suggested as a likely cause ofthe lorikeet's rarity, particularly theblack rat which is a tree-dweller.However, most Pacific islands havean aboriginal rat, the Polynesian rat,which has been in Fiji for thousandsof years. It is a little difficult to seehow rats could affect the nativebirds, when they have alreadyresisted the effects of rat predationfor so long. However, we have beencatching rats in the native forest tofind out what species are livingthere, and to compare rat densitiesin different forest types. We havefound that mongooses and feral catsabound, even in the high altitudenative forest. The rarity of thelorikeet may not be due to onespecific thing, but a suite of factorsincluding introduced species and agradual loss and degradation of

National Trust for Fiji Team at HQ in Suva. Photo: K. Swinnerton

Kirsty Swinnerton.

native forest by fire and clearancefor farming and plantation trees.

We are lucky to be working withAlifereti (Fijian for Alfred) Naikatini,who works for the University of theSouth Pacific in Suva, and who hasbeen guiding us through the Fijiantraditional customs. Most of theland in Fiji is owned by the villagesand, before being able to access anyland, we carry out a 'sevusevu' withthe village Chief and Elders in orderto ask permission. This is followedby a kava drinking session sharedwith the villagers. Kava is the rootof a pepper tree, which is madeinto a narcotic drink. It iscurrently being sold in the West asa herbal remedy for stress reliefand insomnia! These ceremoniescan go on for several hours butare a good way of finding outinformation about the birds. Now that the Christmas and NewYear holidays are over, we areheading off once again into thefield. For the next two weeks weare surveying another area in VitiLevu and then heading off for Fiji'sthird largest island, Taveuni. Taveunihas a reputation as being Fiji's'Garden Island' and I hope that inmy next letter, we will havesome more positive news.


A New Kakapo Breeding SeasonBy ROSEMARY LOW and DON MERTON

New Zealand's large, flightless bird, the Kakapo (Strigopshabroptilus) is the most unique of all parrots, perhapsthe most charismatic, even the most endearing. It is alsoone of the most endangered. With only about 60 birds inexistence and the lowest reproduction rate of any parrot,every egg is like a miracle. So this year, on January 7,there was great cause for jubilation when female "Lisa"was found incubating two eggs. She was likely to lay athird to complete the clutch, and this would beconfirmed with the installation of a nest camera. It is believed that on Christmas Eve she paired with"Basil", a male of unconfirmed fertility. This was by farthe earliest nest ever encountered. Also on January 7,another female mated, giving hope that 2002 will bethe most productive breeding season since intensivemanagement began in 1989. "Lisa" was the mother ofthe last three female Kakapo reared in 1999. (SeePsittaScene May 1999). This clutch, when femalerecruitment to the population was almost nil, wasperhaps the most important in Kakapo history.

Exciting DevelopmentsThe news in January was exciting enough! In February itwas quite extraordinary! By the first week in that month19 of the 21 females had either mated or laid. Nothinglike this had happened since Kakapo have beenintensively managed. Six nests containing a total of 16eggs were known to exist.Scanner-loggers and sign left on the ground indicatewhen matings have occurred. In six of these cases thefemale's identity was unknown. Among the femalesknown to have mated are the ten-year-old Hoki. FemaleCyndy has three eggs (two fertile) in the same tree-trunk cavity that she used in 1997. In anticipation ofthis, Don cut a hole in the hollow trunk and fitted

plastic tank lid, in order to provide easy access. Lasttime she nested, the cavity was inaccessible and hertwo chicks died. It was not possible to monitor theirweight when the rimu crop failed. Other females witheggs are Wendy (a clutch of four) Margaret Maree andNora, both of whom last bred in 1992. It is interestingthat five of the first seven females to lay were thosetransferred from Maud Island last winter in anticipationof this masting event.

Past ProblemsBecause they are nocturnal and flightless, Kakapo werealmost wiped out by introduced predators such as cats,stoats and rats. These trusting parrots were killed intheir thousands two or three centuries ago, for skins,for food and even to feed dogs. The threat frommammalian predators was the reason for the removalof the few surviving birds to offshore island reservesthat had been cleared of predators by the Departmentof Conservation. Eight different islands have been used.Thus Kakapo are officially declared as extinct in thewild, although, of course, they live at complete freedomon the island. Codfish is a small island just off the south coast ofSouth Island. Nearly 4km (2 miles) of turbulent oceanseparates it from Stewart Island to the east. It was onStewart that the last wild population of Kakapo wasdiscovered in 1977. Before that, the species wasbelieved to be effectively extinct, as only males wereknown to survive. Females are especially vulnerable topredation, as they tend their nests.On January14 Don Merton departed for Codfish Island,where he will spend most of the next six months. Wehope to publish more news from Don in the next issue.Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

• Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) donot breed annually but at 2 - 5yearly intervals. They are thoughtto have the slowest reproductiverate of any bird. Breeding lastoccurred in 1999.

• Rimu trees on Codfish/Whenua HouIsland off N/W Stewart Islandcurrently have an unusually heavy("mast') crop of green fruit (aroundtwice the volume of fruit seen inany previous mast year!), whichshould ripen in March/April 2002.

• Since the late 1980's when Kakapowere first transferred to WhenuaHou there have been three Rimumasting events there, and each hasinduced breeding in Kakapo.

However, this promises tobe the heaviest crop, andthis is the first occasionthat Kakapo staff have beenable to anticipate the eventand to capitalise on itthrough moving potentialbreeding stock to the islandmany months in advance.All (9) adult female Kakapofrom Maud Island weremoved to Whenua Hou lastApril/May. Thus, all (21)adult females known tosurvive are now on WhenuaHou in anticipation of abumper breeding event thisyear.

• Kiore rats, a significantpredator of birds eggsand chicks, wereeradicated from WhenuaHou (1,400ha) in 1998.

• DOC staff and volunteersare currently re-trainingadult female Kakapo to

Kakapo and helper in the wild.Photo: Pete Haverson

• recognise and eat supplementaryfoods and to access these foods byopening the lids of closed foodhoppers - something these highlyintelligent birds quickly learn to do!This is essential in order to supportbreeding females (all of which aresolo mothers) should the naturalfood supply fail as it has doneduring the last three breedingevents. In 1992 we desperatelytried to feed one breeding female,but she simply incubated the sweetpotato we placed near her nest,while she and her foster-chick("Hoki") almost starved!

• The female "Hoki", rescued as anear-starving chick from a nest onCodfish Island in 1992 and raisedby Auckland Zoo staff - the firstKakapo ever to be hand-raised - isnow almost 10 years old. Kakapostaff believe she is now sexuallymature.

• While almost all females are inexcellent condition, several arebeing supplementary fed toincrease their body weights a little,to a level where they are morelikely to breed. It is also importantto ensure that no female becomes

Rosemary Low.

Don Merton.

too heavy or she is likely toproduce mainly male offspring. (Weneed more females!) Adjustingweights of individuals is a difficultjob considering these are all free-living birds with access to a widerange of natural foods.

• Many of the 19 adult males onCodfish Island had prepared their"track & bowl systems" - theirtraditional booming bowls or"courts" - for use by December. Anumber of bowls had beenexcavated and tracks trimmedready for booming. There was agreat deal of calling, chasing andmock-fighting by males on thedisplay-ground ("lek" or "arena")each night.

• Over 80 people from New Zealand -and as far away as Canada - haveoffered to help for a two week stintas unpaid Kakapo volunteer nest-minders on Codfish Island nextyear. With an intensivemanagement and monitoringprogramme planned, volunteers areessential to assist the few full-timeKakapo staff during the height ofthe breeding season -February to May


Cape Parrots and Yellowwood TreesBy MIKE PERRIN PhDMajor threats to the Cape Parrot (Poicephalus robustus) include the loss of their forest habitat, which supplies theirfood, particularly the kernels of yellowwood fruits, and nest sites. Nest sites are located predominantly in dead anddecaying yellowwood trees, which are lost during storms and to chain saws. Older trees are felled under permit asforesters believe they have reached maximal harvestable yield and will add little to the productivity of the forest, orits regeneration, although the latter is prevented by cattle and goats grazing on yellowwood seedlings from the understorey. Forest patches that remain today are fragmented and widely dispersed causing the parrots to fly long distancesbetween roosting and feeding localities. During seasons when the natural food supply is low or fails, owing to aberrantweather conditions, the parrots may feed in nut or fruit orchards, where they are exposed to shot guns and trapping.

against global terrorism, but fundsare being raised in various quartersby many dedicated individuals,several locally and some overseas.Including for example JeanPattisson, President of the(American) African Parrot Societyand Council Member of theAmerican Federation of Aviculture towhom I presented talks at theirnational congress in Houston in July2001. The Director of Birdlife SA, Dr.Aldo Berruti, has pledged the fullsupport of his organisation. He, likemany others, has accepted not onlythe regional Endangered status ofCape Parrot, but its probableGlobally Endangered Species status.This would almost certainly followacceptance of CITES Appendix 1categorisation. The motivation forthis has been accepted by KZNWildlife and been taken to thenational committee for approval andsubmission to the internationalbody. This would immediately placethe Cape Parrot at a moreendangered level than, for example,any of the African cranes. (Each ofour cranes is represented in the wildby an estimated 10,000 individualsplus, whereas the estimate for wildCape Parrots is about 500!).

Catapult threatLast year, when I heard that CapeParrots in the Eastern Cape wereinfected with psittacine beak andfeather disease, which is untreatableand very infectious, I thought thatwas the last straw for the CapeParrot, and it might well be.However, there is now yet anotherthreat, Cape Parrots are now shotwith catapults, suffer a painfuldeath and are offered for sale inMuthi markets. As far as I know thisis not part of traditional medicine orAfrican culture, but abuse byimpostor sangomas who are tryingto make a few Rands quickly.Myles Mander of the Institute ofNatural Resources advises me thatthese kinds of occurrences areopportunistic, with only a fewspecies being regularly sought after,which, until recently included thelouries, vultures and groundhornbills. Clearly, the poachers andimpostor sangomas do not know thetrue value of the birds forconservation, or financially. I amtrying to ascertain why Cape Parrots

can be regarded as muthi. Their billis robust, which gives them theirscientific name (Poicephalusrobustus), but they are hardly aspowerful or as symbolic as rhinos. Iwonder whether it is because of itsnewly acquired financial value andhence their appearance in the muthitrade. It is difficult to place theblame on poor and impoverishedrural Africans. This new attack onthe ever declining, threatened andendangered species, the Cape Parrot,is catastrophic.Myles and I will be meeting with theanimal traders to discuss andhopefully resolve the problem. For acouple of years he has been askingthe birding and wildlife authoritiesto start working with the traders toaddress these issues and to look atalternative options e.g. using culledanimals or road kills. (An option forthe Cape Parrot might be birds thatdie of natural causes in the captivebreeding programme). Dr. Mandersays that the people marketingmuthi are quite open to discussionand we may get some marketsupport to ban (or control) trading.Every avenue will be explored.While writing this article, I receiveda phone call from Dr. ColleenDowns, who has been involved withthe Cape Parrot conservationresearch project from its initiationand who currently runs the annualCape Parrot Big Birding Day censusso effectively, to tell me some morebad news! It transpires that aboutone hundred mature yellowwoodtrees have been felled at NtsinkeniForest where we have observed CapeParrots and might have containednesting sites. The DWAF (Department of WaterAffairs and Forestry) Hans Merensky,controlled forest has apparentlybeen harvested by a freelancetimber merchant who was allegedlygranted 'permission' by the tribalauthority in the region. (How canthis sort of action be justified as‘sustainable utilisation’ or optimaluse of resources? - rather it isfinancial avarice and yet anotherrape of the sub-montane forestenvironment.) Most recentinformation suggests that the timberhas been impounded and legalaction is being taken againstthe timber merchant.

Forensic ScienceIn June, I travelled to the UK to meetwith Dr. Jon Wetton, Senior ForensicScientist - DNA Research of TheForensic Scientific Service, who doesmuch contract work for the BritishPolice Force and Home Office. He isone of the experts in the labs thatdeveloped these techniques. I alsomet with Dr. Deborah Pain, Head ofInternational Research, and Dr. GuyShorrock, of the Law EnforcementSection, at the RSPB (Royal Societyfor the Protection of Birds), whocollaborated in bringing successfulcourt actions against several tradersof Peregrine Falcons in the UK. I wastold that all of the court action bythis team in this regard has beensuccessful. I recently appointed Dr.Tee Taylor, who completed herdoctorate on the development ofmicrosatellite DNA markers forparrots, to my team at the ResearchCentre for African ParrotConservation, at the University ofNatal. She will train several mastersstudents in similar techniques,particularly RAPDs (random-amplified polymorphic DNA) andapplications. (The students will bejointly supervised by GeneticsProfessor, Annabel Fossey, andmyself to conduct the research workon the individual identity andpaternity of the Cape Parrot, whichwill be used as forensic evidence incourt cases, The method will also beused on cranes in conjunction withthe Crane Foundation, therebyoptimising the use of a newR1.5million, DNA automated-sequencer). A consultant inenvironmental law is also beingappointed to ensure effective use ofthis information and that providedby informants.In the past there has been poor co-operation between the natureconservation authorities in theprovinces where Cape Parrots occurin the wild and where they aretraded. This loophole has beenplugged through the activities of theCape Parrot Working Group whichincludes representation at seniorlevel by nature conservatorsconcerned with law enforcement.

Expensive operationThis will be a large, ongoing andexpensive operation, like thatDr. Colleen Downs overlooking an

endangered yellowwood forest.

Cape Parrot chicks are illegallyremoved from nests.

Birds are trapped for aviculture, notusually for pets, yet the demand hasincreased dramatically. Why? Sincethe parrots are increasingly rare, thelaw of supply and demand dictatesthat the price goes up. Therefore, itis a greater temptation for ruralAfricans to be persuaded byavaricious middle men to catch wildbirds and to raid nests for chicks.Why are these poachers notapprehended? Is it because ofinadequate legislation? No, it isbecause of inadequate lawenforcement. Are the law enforcerssufficiently motivated? Yes, some ofthem are very motivated, but manyaviculturists and few veterinarianswill not stand up in court to giveevidence against the poachers.Occasionally evidence has gonemissing from the offices of natureconservation organisations, whichhas prevented court action.

In order to make futureprosecutions successful, advancedcontemporary, molecular techniquesare being employed. In much thesame way that DNA can be used tosex parrots, it can be used todetermine parentage, kinship andindividual identity. No longer canbreeders with a pair of Cape Parrots,acquired many years ago on apermit, be able to replace them withwild-caught birds, when the originalpair is sold; or, claim that chickstaken from a nest in the wild are theoffspring of an unproductive pair ofcaptive birds. DNA profiles, orfingerprints, will demonstrate this isnot so.


Review of The World Parrot TrustBy JAMIE GILARDI

PsittaScene turns 50!This is an exciting time for us at the World Parrot Trust, as you'll read on page 18, we've now published 50 issues of the PsittaScene over the past 13years. Our hope is that the content of the magazine provides our members with a rewarding mix of information about our work on the conservation ofwild parrots and the welfare of captive parrots around the world.

ProjectsOf course it is impossible to summarize in a brief report all the projectswe're involved with and we rely on the PsittaScene to achieve this goal.In the past year, we've supported the conservation of wild parrots inAfrica, Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Central and SouthAmerica. Through our Action Grants program, we are now supportingseveral new species including the Thick-billed Parrot in Mexico(technically North America) and the Orange-bellied Parrot from Australia -stay tuned for more details in the next PsittaScene. On the captive side,we're adding to our many publications and leaflets on parrot care, andwe're now including more articles in the PsittaScene which address theissues surrounding birds in the home and aviary. In the past year, wehave also helped launch the World Parrot Welfare Alliance which seeks tosupport and orchestrate the many captive-bird rescue and sanctuaryefforts popping up around the world (details on page 17).

The InternetIn hopes of its potential to help us grow in size and influence, we'veembraced the internet in several ways. Our website allows us to provideextensive high quality information at a very reasonable cost. With thehelp of Ray Hales at Paradise Park, we're enhancing the WPT website withall sorts of new content: from photos, to field reports, to wholePsittaScenes, and even video clips! We now have the entire Parrot ActionPlan available there as well as an on-line petition for people to speak up

about the trade in wild-caught birds. All this enhanced content has ledto nearly three times the traffic we were getting at this time last year!The Trust has benefited from the internet in other ways as well - we havea very active members' discussion list where members from all over theglobe can discuss a wide range of parrot issues (to subscribe, write [email protected]), and of course, our far-flungtrustees, staff, and volunteers are entirely dependent on electronic mailfor our day-to-day communications.

WPT AccountsAs promised, we've done our best to bring you an up-to-date picture ofthe World Parrot Trust accounts. While these sorts of accounting detailsare mostly unsatisfying - they're generally out of date when they'refinally produced, and they're either too vague to tell you much or toospecific to wade through - we feel it is important to give members asense for where the Trust gets its support and how we choose to allocatethat support. You'll note that the accounts for each branch were done bydifferent people, and so the categories in each case end up lookingsomewhat different, as you might expect. And of course, they're nearly ayear behind which to us feels like ancient history. But with a skeletonstaff and lots of things we'd rather focus our energy on - like parrots! -you can imagine why we haven't chosen to invest great sums and energyinto producing detailed and polished annual reports. We'd rather thoseresources went to help save the parrots, and we hope you'll agree.

2000-2001 Accounts in £ Sterling UK USA Canada Benelux TotalIncome

Donations £25,162 £28,776 £2,787 £431 £57,156Membership £17,515 £14,652 £2,117 £3,660 £37,944Bank Interest £792 £2,182 £133 £42 £3,149Merchandise Sales £7,244 £2,353 £4,013 £1,243 £14,853Other Income (fees, rebates, etc..) £0 £100 £0 £134 £234Meetings £0 £0 £0 £76 £76Legacies £23,822 £0 £0 £0 £23,822

Total Income £74,535 £48,063 £9,050 £5,586 £137,234

ExpendituresProject Funding £23,182 £33,334 £0 £0 £56,516Educational Literature (includes PsittaScene) £9,349 £4,201 £0 £0 £13,550Advertising and Fundraising £1,578 £261 £1,249 £590 £3,678Purchases / Merchandise £6,301 £2,223 £3,560 £940 £13,024Bank Charges £651 £74 £114 £54 £893Fees and Dues £874 £84 £214 £27 £1,199Office, Phone, & Post £7,168 £3,088 £661 £256 £11,173Rent £0 £5,414 £0 £0 £5,414Personnel £12,706 £8,472 £0 £0 £21,178Computer Expenses £2,110 £1,738 £569 £0 £4,417Travel / Meetings £3,832 £1,513 £111 £447 £5,903

Total Expense £67,751 £60,402 £6,478 £2,314 £136,945

Balance £6,784 -£12,339 £2,572 £3,272 £289Notes• The Trust’s UK branch enjoys free office space, use of office machines, storage, vehicles etc and benefits from much uncharged time from Paradise Park.• The branches in Asia, Scandinavia, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland send any money collected to the UK and are included in the UK accounts.• The money collected in Australia is sent direct (to avoid exchange rates) to the Palm Cockatoo project and our donations get topped up from the UK accounts.• USA, Canada and Benelux have their own accounts and are registered as a charity in their own country.

courtesy Mr. Herbert Raffaele of theU.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Evolutionary origin ofthe rare MauritiusParakeetBy DR. JIM GROOMBRIDGE, ProjectCoordinator, Maui Forest BirdRecovery Project, 2465 Olinda Road,Makawo, HI 96768, USA.

I am currently working on apublication of a cytochrome-bphylogeny of the Psittaculaparakeets, which deals with theevolutionary origin of the rareMauritius Parakeet. This work waspart of my PhD which dealt with therare avifauna of Mauritius, duringwhich time I worked for theMauritius Wildlife Foundation. I amlooking to set up some additionalwork on the Psittacula parakeetphylogenetics, and I would like toobtain samples of all the Psittaculaspecies and subspecies. ThePsittacula genus is a good one tostudy extinction rates, because itincludes continental species, islandspecies, extinct species andrecovering species, as well as non-endangered island species. I amaiming to sequence DNA from thetwo extinct museum species of theSeychelles and Rodrigues and addthese on to the phylogeny, andstudy the evolution of the wholegenus by looking at morphometriccharacters across the differentphylogenetic clades, therebyrevealing patterns of extinction andevolutionary processes. Psittaculaspecies such as the Longtailed(Psittacula longicauda) andMoustached parakeets (Psittaculaalexandri) have many differentsubspecies from differentgeographical locations. I realise thatsome of the subspecies will bedifficult to get hold of.

Can anyone suggest any goodcontacts / collectors / suppliers (in/ out of UK) that deal withPsittacula parakeets who I might beable to obtain blood samples from.Fresh (i.e. not museum) sampleswill be much easier to obtain DNAfrom. I am aiming to accumulateabout 10-15 unrelated samples ofeach species and if possible,subspecies as well. I have one ortwo samples from the majority ofspecies already, but to accomplishwhat I want to do, I need to extendsample sizes and fill in thetaxonomic gaps.

Any help / advice / suggestions youmay have would be great regardingcontacts that may have large /small / diverse Psittaculacollections and may be able toprovide fresh (feather or -preferably- blood) samples.


Why Easter spellsdisaster for Yellow-eared ParrotsFrom WORLD BIRDWATCH Vol 23 No4, Dec 2001.

The Yellow-eared Parrot(Ognorhynchos icterotis CriticallyEndangered) was once abundantacross the High Andes of Colombiaand Ecuador. However, by the late1990’s it was feared extinct untilProyecto Ognorhynchusrediscovered a small population incentral Colombia. Thanks to theirefforts, working with the localcommunity, this population hassteadily increased, from 81 birds in1999 to approximately 180 birdstoday.

In January 2001, a secondpopulation of 277 birds was foundin western Colombia, a considerableextension of their known range.Proyecto Ognorhynchus immediatelysent in a reasearch andconservation team, funded by LoroParque Foundation and workingwith CorAntioquia (a regionalenvironment agency). It soonbecame clear that the populationwas severely threatened becausethe wax palms Ceroxylon spp., onwhich the parrots are totallydependent, were being felled at analarming rate. The wax palm,Colombia’s national tree, isCritically Endangered and growsextremely slowly. Mature trees maybe more than 500 years old. Eachyear, during the religious festival ofEaster, Palm Sunday is popularlycelebrated around the world withpalm-frond waving parades.Unfortunately, in most towns in theColombian Andes, wax palms arethe fronds of choice for thisprocession. Ahead of Palm Sunday,CorAntiquia approached the localpriest to ask him to encourage hiscongregation to use alternatives,such as the far commoner Wettiniapalm. Despite this, on Palm Sundayroughly 400 villagers, and evensome police, who had been advisedof the palm’s legally protectedstatus, were carrying wax palmfronds. This equates to thedestruction of roughly 100 trees.Proyecto Ognorhynchus is now

intensifying environmentalawareness and conservationactivities with local communities toavoid a repeat of this needlessdestruction, and in October, morethan 200 members of thecommunity participated in a WorldBirdwatch day event at the site.

Ironically, Palm Sunday parades inthe area where Yellow-eared Parrotswere first rediscovered do not posea threat; FARC guerrillas are activethere, and do not permit the fellingof live palms.

For more information on ProyectoOgnorhynchus, please visitwww.ognorhynchus.com.

New CaribbeanEnvironmental PosterSeries AnnouncedThe British High Commission officein the Eastern Caribbean recentlyapproved BDS$9,000 to design andprint a new series of 5,000 wildlifeeducation posters for schoolchildren on St. Vincent & theGrenadines.

The award was granted to theForestry Department of St. Vincent& the Grenadines, and to Graeme

Hall Nature Sanctuary in Barbados,and will offset the costs of graphicdesign and printing.

The new educational poster seriesis being produced to highlight theunique plants and wildlife that existonly in St. Vincent & theGrenadines. The poster series willinitially feature five unique endemicspecies; the St. Vincent AmazonParrot (Amazona guildingii), theWhistling Warbler, The St. VincentWhistling Frog, the St. Vincent BlackSnake, and an endemic plant /flower which is unique to the highaltitude slopes of Mount LaSoufriere.

According to Roger Sweeney,Associate Director of the GraemeHall Nature Sanctuary, the posterseries is designed to increase localcommunity awareness about theunique natural heritage of St.Vincent.

"We hope that increased localawareness will lead to greaterappreciation of the islands naturalhistory and promote greater speciesprotection," said Sweeney. "Wethink this project will show howthese species leverage nationalpride and promote conservation ofthe unique natural resources on ourislands."

The poster series is being designedfor distribution to schoolchildren aspart of the on-going environmentaleducation programmes supportedby the St. Vincent forestrydepartment. The educationprogrammes of the forestrydepartment are now being increasedas part of a campaign to inform thelocal community about the aims ofa new integrated forestrymanagement and developmentproject being developed in St.Vincent.

Artwork for the first two posters inthe series, which will feature the St.Vincent Parrot and the WhistlingWarbler, is being made available

Echo Parakeet, Paradise Park. Photo: Paradise Park

Yellow-eared Parrots.Photo: Proyecto Ognorhynchus/Bernabé López-Lanús

WPT Members List - Please joinSince we have a very impressive collection of researchers,aviculturists, educators, and all around committed parrotowners among our ranks, we thought it might be helpful tohave a venue for:

• Asking and answering questions about parrots, parrot care,and parrot conservation.

• Updating members on the latest news from the field, fasterand with greater depth than in PsittaScene.

• Providing information on upcoming meetings and eventsthat might be of interest to members.

Signing up is easy. Just send a message [email protected] along with your nameand member number (that's on your mailing label) and we'llsend you a welcome letter with the details on how the wholething works. Please give it a whirl, and we'll look forward toseeing you there!


Book ReviewAdvice on pet parrots

Congratulations and many thanks:John Watkins, UK

A forty-page booklet based on the premise that if your parrot iscorrectly trained wing-clipping is unnecessary, Greg Glendell’s PetParrots Advice Direct should be read by parrot owners. Asubstantial part is devoted to Obedience Training, with theemphasis on developing a relationship of trust. The essentialcommands are 1. Stepping up, 2. Stepping down, 3. Stay and 4. Go!A parrot should never be punished for its behaviour. Fearful birds(which includes many which are wild-caught), cannot be traineduntil they are reasonably comfortable in the company of people.Bold or aggressive birds might bite but they are easier to train thannervous birds. The quickest way to stop biting is to show noreaction to a bite. Repeat the command and try again. Remain calmand confident.The author makes some valid points on other aspects, such as:“Parrots cannot cope with solitude and often develop seriousbehavioural problems without the close company of either theirowner or another bird.” He suggests that if the parrot’s cage is inthe living room, the owner can consider placing a smaller cage for

sleeping only in a room that is not used during the night. A parrotneeds 10 to 12 hours sleep at night. Many do not have enoughsleep because they are kept awakeby lights and television.There are notes on a healthydiet, on feather plucking, firstaid and vets and on wing-clipping. The latter is oftencarried out because ownerserroneously think it is needed tohave control of the bird. Thisuseful and thoughtful bookletshows quite clearly that this is afallacy.It can be obtained from The PetParrot Consultancy, PO Box 227,Shrewsbury, SY4 5WU. The priceis £4.90.

WPWA - We Welcome Your Support

World Parrot Welfare Alliance - we want to be inclusive. Ifyou care about parrots and want to help, we welcome yourinput and suggestions - whether you are involved with alarge, incorporated sanctuary; a small, informal "Mom andPop" shelter; a parrot breeder, or are "just" a parrot lovernot directly involved in parrot welfare.

WPWA was created to bring together people in all countrieswho are concerned about the current crisis in the welfare ofcaptive parrots, and to seek solutions. Our objectives are --in brief--to fight for the well-being of all parrots and againstabusive predatory practices.

Please Contact: Stewart Metz, M.D. ,Chairperson (Steering Committee), Email [email protected], e-Fax 208-445-0898, Web www.worldparrottrust.org/WPWA/wpwahome.html

Winning Bid for Grant HackingsFramed Original Painting of

Golden Conure(Guaruba guarouba)

£6,500

✂

I support the proposal to ban the importation of wild-caught birds into the European UnionFirst Name*................................................................................................................................

Last Name* ..............................................................................................................................

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An asterisk * denotes fields that are requiredPlease tear off and return to: WPT, Glanmor House, Hayle, Cornwall, TR27 4HB, UK.

If you would like additional copies of this or the actual Proposal to Ban the Importation of Wild-caught Birds into the European Union(PS Vol 13 No 3) then please do not hesitate to contact me on Tel: 01736 751026

Principal Interest*❏ Aviculturist

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Our 50th issue of PsittaSceneAt our recent trustees meeting in Cornwall, Mike pointed out that the upcoming PsittaScene - the one in your hands - isour 50th issue! For a quiet little NGO with mostly volunteer help, that feat alone is truly amazing and we owe a hugedebt of gratitude to our Editor, Rosemary Low, for her unfailing support of this effort over the years. Her delicate handwith both the writing and editing pen has been the foundation of our newsletter-cum-magazine. And barely concealedbehind the title 'Honorary Director' our founder and now chairman of trustees, Mike Reynolds, has been writing,designing, copy editing, and even modelling for the PsittaScene from Volume 1 No 1 onwards. As he has frequentlystated that producing each issue is a bit like giving birth, I'm sure you'll agree that we're all very lucky that he's gone tothe trouble of producing so many beautifully illustrated, very readable, and informative children! Finally at the center ofeach issue, our UK administrator, Karen Whitley, is there assembling text, scanning photos, and making sure it all comestogether by the well-stretched deadline - we always get a good laugh when someone writes in with a comment andconjures up images of a whole staff of editors, art directors, and the like, when in reality we all just wear a lot of hatsand somehow manage to get these issues out four times a year with as few errors as possible. During the meeting, wedid of course discuss substantive issues such as the format of the cover and the content of the articles and we're lookingforward to introducing some of those changes over the next several issues. We hope you will approve!

A Proposal for the Responsible Management of the Wild-caught Bird Trade in theEuropean Union

A Campaign of the World Parrot TrustOne of the strongest messages we can send to the European Union is the fact that there are thousands of people from Europe andaround the world who feel that it's time to stop this unacceptable exploitation of the natural resources of developing countries.The EU has now become the largest importer of wild caught birds and the existing legislation in Europe is ineffective at stoppingthe inhumane and unsustainable harvesting of these wild birds.

Although we plan to take several approaches to see this campaign through to its rightful conclusion, you can help a great deal bysimply signing the petition below to add your voice to thousands of others in support of our goal of allowing wild birds to remainwhere they belong ... in the wild.

Please take a moment to fill out the petition at http://www.worldparrottrust.org/trade.html or complete the tear off sectionbelow and return to WPT UK and let your voice be heard.

Thank you very much for your support on this critical issue.

Petition Signature Total so far: 2,531A Special Thanks to ‘Rüdiger Wohlers, Ian Hinze, Monica Engebretson Animal Protection Institute and Paradise Park’ for their supportand promotion of this Trade Ban

YES, I WANT TO HELP SAVE THE PARROTS OF THE WORLD

Join Us Now on our website or see our online sales items at: www.worldparrottrust.org

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SUBSCRIPTION RATES (please tick)

❏ Student membership £10 / US$15

❏ Single membership £20 / US$30

❏ Joint membership £27 / US$40

❏ Club membership £100 / US$150

❏ Fellow (Life Member) £300 / US$500

❏ Conservation membership (Life Member) £1,000 / US$1,500

❏ Additional donation of ..........................................................

(or equivalent exchange currency, credit cardpayments by Visa/Mastercard only)

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❏ ‘The WPT 12’ projects

WPT National ContactsUnited KingdomKaren Whitley, Administrator, Glanmor House, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HB UK.Tel: (44) 01736 751026 Fax: (44) 01736 751028, Email: [email protected]: [email protected]. Dennison, PO Box 1758, Link Hills, Natal 3652, S. Africa.Tel: (27) 31 763 4054 Fax: (27) 31 763 3811, Email: [email protected] Carlton, Hong KongTel: (1) 415 430 2160 ext 6445, Email: [email protected] Owen, 7 Monteray St., Mooloolaba, Queensland 4557, Australia.Tel: (61) 7 54780454, Email: [email protected] de Vries (Membership Sec.), Jagershof 91, 7064 DG Silvolde, Netherlands.Tel: (31) 315327418, Email:[email protected] enquiries: Romain Bejstrup (32) 32526773Netherlands enquiries: Ruud Vonk (31) 168472715CanadaSandra Metzger, PO Box 29, Mount Hope, Ontario, L0R 1W0, Canada.Tel: (1) 519 823 8941 Fax: (1) 519 823 8941,Email: [email protected] (Scandinavia)Michael Iversen, Hyldevang 4, Buresoe, 3550 Slangerup.Email: [email protected] Rep: Olivier Arnoult, 16 Chemin du Peyronnet, 06500 Menton, France.Mobile: (33) 62 026 1957 Email: [email protected]. & G. Prin, 55 Rue de la Fassiere, 45140, Ingre.Tel: (33) 2 38 43 62 87 Fax: (33) 2 38 43 97 18GermanyNew Rep: Marcus Kreft, Riemenschneider Weg 32, 12157 Berlin, Germany.Email: [email protected] Senni, Email: [email protected] Virili, via Matarus 10, 33045 Nimis, UdineSpainNew Rep: Ricardo Sobrino, Novás, 36778 O Rosal (Pontevedra) Spain.Tel: (34) 986 625 918, Fax: (34) 986 626 165, Email: [email protected] Lepperhoff, Lutschenstrasse 15, 3063 Ittigen, SwitzerlandTel: (41) 31 922 3902USAJoanna Eckles, PO Box 353, Stillwater, MN 55082, USA.Tel: (1) 651 275 1877 Fax: (1) 651 275 1891, Email: [email protected]: [email protected] Web Sites:Main: http://www.worldparrottrust.org,Canada: http://www.canadianparrottrust.org,Italy: http://www.worldparrottrust.org/italy

Aims of the TrustWith thousands of members in over50 countries, our branches work toachieve the stated aims of the WorldParrot Trust, which are:

The survival of parrot species inthe wild

The welfare of captive birds everywhere

To Achieve these Aims, We:

• Restore and protect populations of wild parrots and theirnative habitats

• Promote awareness of the threats to all parrots, captiveand wild

• Oppose the trade in wild-caught birds

• Educate the public on high standards for the care andbreeding of parrots

• Encourage links between conservation and aviculture

Member, Donation orLegacyIf you become a member of our Registered Charity you willreceive a new member package, 4 of our PsittaScenemagazines per year which contain all the up to dateinformation on the projects that we are involved with andone free entry to Paradise Park in Cornwall per year withyour membership card. As a member you can also join anemail list and gain access to many other members for parrotinformation and support. Each renewal year you willreceive the 4 quarterly magazines and one free entry intoParadise Park.

Printed by Brewers of Helston Ltd. Tel: 01326 558000

Parrotsin the Wild

Ring-neckParakeetPsittaculakrameriBy KIRSTY SWINNERTON

Ring-neck Parakeets arecommon cage birds and havebeen introduced to many partsof the world. In some countriesthey are pests, in Mauritius theycompete with the endemic EchoParakeet (Psittacula eques). Butthis Parakeet was photographedin its native country in India, inthe Keoladeo Ghana NationalPark at Bharatput in Rajasthan,In October 1989. The reserve isworld famous for its birds, andover 300 species have beenrecorded. Birds can be easilyobserved very close up and Iwas only 3m (10ft) away fromthis female as she came out ofher nesthole.

magazine of the world parrot trust psittascenetrinidad he was the perfect guide for our observations...

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