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!

Agricultural Expansion and Habitat Loss

Since 1700, there has been a six-fold increase in the global extent of agricultural land (Birdlife - Agriculture, 2008). In 1700, only 6% of global land area was being used for agriculture yet in 2011, this figure sat at 37.6% (WorldBank, 2013). The area of land used for agriculture is predicted to rise further as global population increases and with it the demand for commodities such as coffee, soy bean, palm oil and sugar-cane (BirdLife - Crop Expansion, 2013). The expansion of agriculture most often involves the transformation of natural habitats and a loss of biodiversity. In 2008, agriculture contributed to the declines of 87% of threatened bird species on the IUCN Red List.

The pressures of agricultural expansion are felt globally, but let us look at Brazil in more detail. Brazil is home to not only a large portion of the Amazon rainforest, but it is also home to the "forgotten" Cerrado; the worlds most wildlife rich savannah, which covers 21% of the country (WWF - Cerrado). The Cerrado once covered 2 million km², but has since been reduced to 43% of its former size and is being lost at a rate of 1% per year (Birdlife - Cerrado, 2008); if the rate of destruction continues, then the Cerrado is projected to be lost completely by 2030 (Mongabay, 2010).

The Cerrado; the  Brazilian savannah in the height of the summer dry season, which lasts approximately from May to September - image by Christoph Diewald on Flickr.

The Cerrado is extremely important for wildlife (WWF - Cerrado), and is home to over 10,000 species of plant and more than 1600 species of animal; including 935 species of bird. Amongst these animals is the incredibly gorgeous and fluffy Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus - Near Threatened), Kaempfer's Woodpecker (Celeus obrieni - Endangered) and the Cone-billed Tanager (Conothraupis mesoleuca - Critically Endangered). New species are still being discovered, with one bird species among the 13 new species found in 2008 (Mongabay, 2010).

The majority of the loss of the Cerrado is due to highly mechanised soya farms (most of much is used for animal feed), but land is also cleared for cattle ranches and other farms. Models have shown that in areas converted into planted pastures, precipitation may be reduced by up to 10% and surface air temperature may increase by 0.5*C (Klink & Machado, 2005). Were all endemic bird species in the Cerrado to go extinct, then Batalha et. al. (2010) predict functional diversity (Tilman, 2001) to decrease by 27%.

Only 7.5% of remaining Cerrado is currently under protection, yet an estimated 20% of threatened animal and plant species live outside of the protected areas (Klink & Machado, 2005). That said, the future of the Cerrado need not be grim. State governments are focusing on creating new protected areas, extending existing protected areas and establishing ecological corridors. There are also NGOs promoting alternative economic activities to support the livelihoods of local communities, such as ecotourism, the sustainable use of fauna and flora products, and the use of plants for medicinal purposes (Klink & Machado, 2005). Sustainable farming may also help to slow down, and possibly eventually reverse, the decline in biodiversity in Brazil.

A male Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) by Kelly Colgan Azar on Flickr.

To finish, I will leave you with an example of successful sustainable farming; the story of "bird friendly" Bob-o-Link Coffee. The brand is named after a migratory American blackbird, the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), whose species had experienced a 75% decline (Science for Brazil, 2013) in the last decade due to habitat lost to make way for sugar-cane plantations in the Cerrado. 

One of the reforested Bobolink Coffee plantations;
growing the coffee beans in the shade is said to improve
their taste and quality. 

Bob-o-Link Coffee have restored much of the forest on their 700 acre organic farm, through the planting of trees so that they can grow their coffee beans in the shade. Alongside producing higher quality coffee, this reforestation has restored habitats for the Bobolink and several other animal species (Science for Brazil, 2013). 

Bob-o-link coffee also encourages its farmers to keep beehives on their farms; this not only helps with pollination of the coffee plants, but if more farmers turned to bee-keeping then it might help slow the decline of bee populations in many countries (Bob-o-Link Coffee). 

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.