In the Wild
Parrot-watching in South-west Victoria
By Peter Odekerken
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A Danish aviculturist, and friend of mine, recently requested information in relation to seeing as many parrots as possible after a short business meeting in Melbourne, Victoria. He wished to see as many species of parrot as possible in a 2½ day window before he had to return to Denmark.
If you have no experience in a foreign country and are not familiar with finding wild birds, then this becomes a very difficult task. Heading in the wrong direction could mean the difference between seeing a species or not.
By Peter Odekerken
Recent capture and trade of wild African Grey Parrots – with special reference to Cameroon
By David Waugh
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In recent decades a high level of capture and legal trade in wild African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) has occurred. A major exporting country has been Cameroon, with official statistics from 1981 to 2005 showing that it exported 367,166 individuals, with a yearly average of 15,299.
By David Waugh
10 Years of Saving the Yellow-eared Parrot
By Gilly Lloyd
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One of South America’s most endangered parrot species is the beautiful Yellow-eared Parrot (Ognorhynchus icterotis). As its name suggests, this colourful parrot has large yellow ear-patches, contrasting dramatically with the rest of its primarily green plumage.
The Yellow-eared Parrot used to occur throughout the Andean mountains of Ecuador and Colombia - in the case of Colombia, in all three mountain chains.
By Gilly Lloyd
Islands, Parakeets and People: The conservation of Red-fronted Parakeets on Islands of the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
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New Zealand holds the greatest diversity of Cyanoramphus Parakeets which are left in the world. This fascinating group of parrots used to occur on Tahiti, New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island, as well as throughout the New Zealand archipelago. During the last 200 years, however, two species and two sub-species have disappeared, due to the introduction of exotic mammals to fragile island ecosystems, and other unknown causes.
Meyer’s Parrots in the Okavango Delta
By Steve Boyes
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The Okavango Delta in Botswana is one of the last remaining pristine wilderness areas in southern Africa - or the world for that matter - as, for the most part, the system has remained unmanaged, unfenced and free of human encroachment. The delta is Africa’s greatest wetland wilderness and it provides for spiritual renewal and the opportunity to be immersed in something completely natural.
By Steve Boyes
Artificial Cavities and Nest Site Selection by Puerto Rican Parrots:
A Multiscale Assessment
By Thomas H White Jr, G Gordon Brown and Jaime A Collazo
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The Puerto Rican Parrot is unique in that, since 2001, all known nesting in the wild has occurred in standardized artificial cavities, which also provided us a unique opportunity to evaluate nest site selection without confounding effects of the actual nest cavity characteristics.
A Multiscale Assessment
By Thomas H White Jr, G Gordon Brown and Jaime A Collazo
Serious Cause for Concern – New Zealand’s Parrots in the 21st Century
By Rosemary Low
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New Zealand (104,000 sq miles) is slightly larger than the UK (94,500 sq miles), yet it has a human population of only 4.2 million. The UK's human density per square mile is 245. New Zealand's is 16! If you think this means its wildlife must be thriving, you would be totally wrong.
By Rosemary Low
The Scarlet Macaw – is Aviculture the Answer?
By Robert Alison
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Measures being taken to halt the declining number of wild Scarlet Macaws in the neotropics
The spectacular Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is one of several prominent macaws and large parrots in steep decline in the neotropics. Habitat loss and nest robbing have reduced their numbers to critical lows, and some local populations have disappeared entirely. Aviculture might be the key to saving some of those that remain.
By Robert Alison
The Evolution and Behaviour of the Extraordinary Eclectus Parrot
By Jessie Zgurski
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Eclectus Enigma
High in the canopy of the dense rain forests of Australasia lives one of nature's most extraordinary and beautiful birds, the Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus). Although their strange behavior sets them apart from other birds, they are most well known for their brilliant and unusual colors. The handsome males are a vibrant emerald green, while the elegant females are a dark ruby red, usually with a vest of violet or cobalt feathers.
By Jessie Zgurski
Hope Grows for Birds in Brazil
By Carolyn Gonzalez
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When someone mentions Brazil, most people think of exotic retreats like Rio, says Carolyn. But when Mark and Marie Stafford invited my husband, Omar, and me to accompany them there, we knew it wouldn't be a beach party.
By Carolyn Gonzalez
The Macaw Reintroduction Project – Foz Iguacu
By By Mathias Dislich, DVM, staff veterinarian for the Foz Tropicana Bird Park
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The Iguacu Falls National Park attracts a large number of visitors every year, wishing to see the incredible waterfalls and to visit the last remaining rainforest in Southern Brazil.
By By Mathias Dislich, DVM, staff veterinarian for the Foz Tropicana Bird Park
The Parrot Whisperers of Amorentia
By Howard Blight
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A truly remarkable thing happened on the Amorentia Estate, near Tzaneen, in the northern part of South Africa. Howard Blight tells the story.
Early this year, a farm labourer, Johannes Ramadikela, found an endangered Cape Parrot flopping about on the ground near his house. He caught the bird and placed it in a box, noticing as he did so, a very nasty crack on the top of the bird's beak. It had obviously flown into something.
By Howard Blight
















