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The description also provides a good starting-point to judge the purity of strain of a Black-cheeked Lovebird, however, we shall very likely get absolute safety only from a system of molecular genetic comparison. The feasibility of such a system is checked by Dr Till Töpfer (Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Museum of Zoology) at present. Samples of tissue from wild specimens can be placed at our disposal as reference material, and – with a little luck – we could also get the DNA from wild birds from Zambia. However, the possibility of this comparison has not yet become a reality. We must therefore still use the phenotypical appearance of the Black-cheeked Lovebirds in our aviaries to guide us. When we are notified of mutation free and type pure Black-cheeked Lovebirds, we shall issue a certificate. These birds must be descended from ancestors who have not produced any mutations in the course of their lifetime, and the type pure birds must be visually checked first, followed by a genetic examination later. A specialist advisory board is working out the criteria for this certification system at the moment.  Should it be proved at a later time that such a certificate was assigned erroneously for an individual, of course it can and must be declared invalid. If necessary, this would even concern some of the ancestors of the relevant specimen.

To check the danger of the further distribution of the polyoma and circo virus in the available Black-cheeked Lovebird stock, the execution of individual examinations by molecular genetic institutes is recommended. The examination for these viruses should also then become a component of the certification.

With type pure mutation free and healthy Black-cheeked Lovebirds in sufficient numbers, an endangered species project can finally be initiated according to an approved method for this species.  We already have empirical values from other projects (Vasaparrots, Blue-rumped Parrot, White-headed Buffalo Weaver and Red-fronted Macaw).

We must then handle the founding population extremely sensitively, of course.  The registered Black-cheeked Lovebirds must be regarded as a complete stock, and the studbook can be used to recommend to coordinators which male should be mated with which female. The coordinators must take care that these birds do not have any degree of relationship at all.

Coordinators have already started to record in a digital studbook the data of the first type pure and mutation free Black-cheeked Lovebirds, as well as their owners.  Every participant will be required to hand in an inventory report every year, and coordinators can, of course, also be informed about any subsequent changes to these inventory reports.  They will then hand in recommendations for the composition of relationships of distant couples.

In addition, the coordinators will help studbook participants with after-breeding arrangements for the young which result from this programme. First, we shall try to have the young birds added the studbook, whilst observing the guidelines about the degree of relationship between them.   We shall, of course also help with the arrangement of breeding for older birds.  It is important too that every participant remains the owner of his birds.

An internet site was recently set up to offer as much knowledge as possible about the Black-cheeked Lovebird.  This German language site can be found at:  www.agapornis-projekt.de.  A protected area, which is accessible only to the participants of the initiative, has also been set up.  It has internal information, as well as photos and lists of special publications on the Black-cheeked Lovebird, which have been made available with the express consent of the authors.

At present, good contacts are scientists Professor Mike Perrin (South Africa) and Dr Louise Warburton (United Kingdom), both of whom have been involved in a detailed investigation of the Black-cheeked Lovebird, and who have been studying these birds in the wild for some years.

We should like to issue a call for participation in this very important project from anyone who has type pure Black-cheeked Lovebirds.  We would ask you please to get in touch with the coordinators whose contact details can be found at the end of this article. Registration forms will be sent to you upon request.

We hope that this initiative will contribute to an increase in the population of Black-cheeked Lovebirds in Europe, and that this will create a genetic reserve.  It is also hoped that the stock might even be stabilized in Zambia within the space of a few decades.

Coordinators:

Jörg Asmus and Ramona Heuckendorf
Barlachweg 218273 GüstrowGermany
e-Mail: vasaparrot@hotmail.com

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Joerg Asmus started breeding parrots in 1979 – primarily Australian Parakeets – and several years later went on to breed Cockatoos, African Greys, Poicephalus, Eclectus, Macaws, Amazons, Lovebirds, Vasa Parrots and Starlings. During this time, he embarked on a study of literature on parrots, and some years ago started to publish articles on parrots himself.

He has produced almost 300 publications, and also give speeches on parrots.  His work deals mainly with keeping parrots in captivity and aviculture, but also includes information on habitat and history.  His first book, “The Examination of some Preparations from Museums of the Lesser Vasa Parrot (Coracopsis nigra) for their Classification to Sub-Species” was published in German and English in 2005.  For this work he was awarded  the “Prize for Tropic Ornithology” in 2006.

Regular scientific studies are basis of Joerg’s taxonomic work at the Zoological Museum of the Humboldt University in Berlin, and wider examinations are carried out with the participation of large natural museums in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Tring, Edinburgh, Tervueren, Paris, Vienna, New York, Washington, Yale, Berlin, Frankfurt, Braunschweig, Munich and Halberstadt.  A current examination is focusing on the Jardine’s Parrots of the sub-species Poicephalus gulielmi permistus and its right to exist.

Joerg is Secretary of the advisory board of the Association for Breeding and Conservation of Native and Exotic Birds (VZE) and a member of the Loro Parque Fundacion (LPF), the Society for Tropic Ornithology (GTO) and the Fund for Threatened Parrots (FbP).

He is a coordinator of the European Conservation Breeding Programme for the Lesser- and Greater Vasa Parrots, and the European Conservation Breeding Programme for the Black-cheeked Lovebird.  He is also involved in the European Conservation Breeding Programme for the Blue-rumped Parrot, the Red-fronted Macaw and the White-headed Buffalo Weaver, which cooperates closely with zoological in Europe which are leading conservation projects for these species.