The Orange-bellied Parrot - Colourful but Endanged Aussies

Before starting up this blog I had no idea that so many parrot species (well, just birds in general) were classed as Endangered or Critically Endangered. Partly it's because I never knew there were so many different species out there, and partly because -in the case of parrots- you can walk into pet shops and see them lined up in cages. I used to assume that if they were being sold to the general public, they were clearly in abundance in the wild.

How wrong I was; of the popular cage bird species, several are classified as 'threatened' on the latest IUCN Red List. Amongst those that are Vulnerable is the African Grey Parrot (Psittacus erithacus), and several others are classed as Endangered, amongst them being the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) and the Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys).

The Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) (BirdLife, 2013) is an example of a Critically Endangered parrot, but as far as I'm aware these little guys aren't available as pets. It could argued that such a thing is as good as it is bad; a lack of demand for the pet trade means that nest poaching is much less likely, but it also means that there are few people breeding these birds in captivity. The gem coloured birds are incredibly rare; found in Southern Australia and Tasmania, their population in the wild estimated to be lower than 50 individuals, with a decreasing trend. Between 2000 and 2008, there was an observed 12% decline in the number of adult birds at breeding grounds. This is thought to be due a lack of female parrots attempting to breed, which in turn results in a decline in the recruitment of juveniles to the species' population (Holdsworth et al, 2011).

The Critically Endangered Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) - image by Ron Knight on Flickr.

A number of factors are believed to be behind the declining population, and the majority of these are anthropogenic. Agriculture and urbanisation, along with industrial developments, fragment and degrade the important overwintering habitats of Southern Australia. Salt-marsh habitat degradation is also classified as a large threat, and worries have been voiced that proposed mining in Tasmania at Melaleuca could significantly damage breeding grounds. Looking at invasive species, various introduced seed-eating finches compete with the parrots for available winter food, and common starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) take-over nesting sites previously used by the parrots.

Random events also impact upon the species' population, though some of these events may become less random in years to come. Death from storms during migration may rise if storm frequency and intensity increases with future climate change. Disease is another danger, especially when the population is so small. Between 2005 and 2006, 40 birds bred in captivity died due to a suspected viral disease. The population was quarantined to prevent any disease spreading to the wild population, but things may not be as lucky in future. Other threats proposed by BirdLife Australia (2012) include the risk of predation by cats and foxes, inbreeding, deaths from collisions with structures such as wind turbines, and threats from noxious weeds.

It all paints a pretty grim picture for the Orange-bellied Parrot, doesn't it? Nonetheless, things may be looking up for these Aussies!

A breeding programme has been in place since 1986, which aims to increase numbers in the wild by releasing birds bred in captivity into the wild (Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service, 2013). In 2006, $3.2 million was committed to help expand and protect the population and habitat of the parrots. The conservation attempt encompasses many things, including enhancing the captive breeding program in place, conservation of the breeding and nesting habitat in Tasmania, expansion and protection of the winter nesting grounds in Australia, and control of predators in breeding, migratory and wintering habitats (BirdLife Australia, 2012).

21 young birds were taken from nests in 2011, from where they were transferred into a captive 'insurance population' that currently numbers over 200 individuals. To boost the numbers in the wild, 23 members of this population were released this year. It's hoped that these newly released birds will integrate into the wild population and breed in the following years, thus reserving the population decline (Stephen Garnett, 2013). Hopefully this means we'll be seeing some good news regarding orange-bellied parrot in the next few years to come!