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Good news for Critically Endangered parrot
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Monday 23rd February 2009

Kakapo - overview

The miraculous discovery of a male kakapo (Strigops habroptila), over twenty years after it was last seen has boosted the known world population of this Critically Endangered parrot to 91. BirdLife International report that the flightless, nocturnal bird was recently rediscovered booming (the males unique, resonant mating call) where no kakapos had been detected before. The bird had not been seen since 1987, when it was one of four males released onto a conservation sanctuary near Stewart Island, New Zealand. As well as giving the potential for introducing extra genetic material into the kakapo breeding programme, the find has raised hopes of discovering more kakapos on this and other islands.

Once roaming across the whole of New Zealand, the kakapo population has been decimated due to hunting and predation by introduced mammals such as cats, dogs, stoats and rats, and fell to a low of just 51 individuals in 1995. This led to the drastic measure of moving all remaining kakapos to predator-free islands in order to avert their imminent extermination, and the population has since been the subject of intensive conservation efforts as part of a last-ditch attempt to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

Classified as Critically Endangered, and considered one of the worlds rarest parrots, the encouraging news of the rediscovery of this male comes with good news about the species breeding progress, with the egg tally for this years breeding season currently standing at 37. With the continued efforts of those devoted to saving this rare, endemic bird, there is hope that the species is on its first tentative steps towards recovery.

Like the kakapo, a number of other parrot species are classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered. See below to find out more about some of these charismatic birds, and what is being done to save them.

Blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis)

image: Blue-throated macaw on branchFound only in Bolivia, the blue-throated macaw population has been decimated by collection for the pet trade. Previously thought to have been lost from the wild, the species was re-discovered in 1992, but with ongoing illegal collection the outlook for the remaining wild population of around 250 individuals is uncertain.

Spixs macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii)

image: Introduced Spix's macaw female perched in treeConsidered the worlds rarest bird, Spix's macaw is believed to have become extinct in the wild in 2000, as a result of habitat loss and trapping for the illegal bird trade. The future of this macaw now rests on captive breeding programmes and the hope that the species can be successfully reintroduced into the wild.

Yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea)

image: Yellow-crested cockatooWith fewer than 7,000 individuals left in the wild, the yellow-crested cockatoo is another species which has suffered from over-collection for the pet trade, exacerbated by habitat loss, and is now restricted to parts of Indonesia and East Timor.

Orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster)

image: Orange-bellied parrot male perched on branchHabitat loss is thought to be the main cause of decline for the orange-bellied parrot, which now numbers fewer than 150 individuals in the wild and is known to breed at only two sites in Tasmania.

Visit MyARKive to see a selection of images and videos of Endangered parrots in the Endangered Parrots scrapbook

To find out more about the conservation of the kakapo, and for updates on the current breeding season, visit:

For more information on BirdLife Internationals Preventing Extinctions Programme and how you can help save Critically Endangered birds, visit:



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