Critically Endangered - The Philippine Cockatoo

I stumbled across an interesting article by BusinessMirror (2013) on the Red-Vented Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia)  (IUCN, 2012) during a coach-trip back from visiting friends. Sometimes called the Philippine Cockatoo or Katala, this clever bird is one of the few bird species capable of mimicking human speech. Sadly, the population of these beautiful birds has plummeted rapidly (a decline of 60-90%) (Katala Foundation, 2013) in the last two decades due to anthropogenic activities.

The Red-vented cockatoo is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Redlist with an estimate of roughly 1000 remaining in the wild, and with the remaining populations fragmented and dispersed across the Philippine islands  (IUCN, 2012). 

The Red-vented Cockatoo, by Edmond Sham on Flickr

Destruction of their natural coastal habitat poses one threat; deforestation and destruction of mangroves has been particularly extensive throughout their range, leaving the remaining populations vulnerable to typhoons (IUCN, 2012). The cockatoos are also persecuted for being agricultural pests, and are sometimes hunted for food (Birdlife, 2013).

Illegal trade of the birds for sale as pets, however, has probably been the largest impact that humans have had upon the species. The Red-vented Cockatoo is highly demanded as a cage-bird, as reflected in the price these birds can reach on the market (US$300 in Manilla, in 2006) (IUCN, 2012), and as such illegal trappers will remove any chicks from nests they come across  (Katala Foundation, 2013). 

Thankfully, things are being done to try and stop the decline of this species through the Philippine Cockatoo Conservation Program (PCCP). The PCCP has proposed protecting nests from poaching, restoring destroyed habitats, education and involvement in the community and conservation breeding for re-release as some of their conservation methods.