Cyanopsitta Magazine (66)

No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
Cyanopsitta
Message from the F
ounder
Founder
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta - Latin for blue parrot. The only
member of this genus is Cyanopsitta spixii, the
Spix’s Macaw. It is a highly endangered species,
symbol of Loro Parque Fundación, and of the
need to conserve our planet.
Cyanopsitta is printed using environment friendly, recycled, woodfree coated paper: Symbol Freelife Satin©, FEDRIGONI®
Message from the Founder
Annual Conferences of WAZA and CBSG
First transfer of our bachelor group
The keeping and breeding of the
Chiriqui conure
Meeting Point
Loro Parque Hotline
Foundation News
The biggest and most diverse parrot
collection in the World
IBAMA dissolves the Spix Macaw
Recovery Comittee
The El Oro parakeet
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8
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10
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18
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Front Cover: Chiriqui Conure (Pyrrhura
hoffmanni gaudens), Photo: Juan Angel de
Corral
Editorial Office:
Loro Parque S.A.
38400 Puerto de la Cruz
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Spain
Tel.: + 34 922 374081
Fax: + 34 922 375021
E-mail: <loroparque@loroparque.com>
<dir.general@loroparque-fundacion.org>
Editorial Committee:
Dr. Javier Almunia, Corinna Brauer, Inge Feier,
Wolfgang Kiessling, Matthias Reinschmidt, Yves
de Soye, Prof. David Waugh and Rafael Zamora.
Visit our websites:
Visit the website of Loro Parque Fundación,
which provides you with detailed information
on our programmes at: <http://www.loroparquefundacion.org>. For the website of Loro Parque,
please check out <www.loroparque.com>.
Membership:
Become a member of Loro Parque Fundación to
support us in our activities. You will then receive
our trimestral newsletter Cyanopsitta, as well as
a supporter’s card permitting free entry to Loro
Parque during the validity of your membership.
The current annual membership fees are:
Adults (non-resident): ................... 90,00 •
Adults (resident) &
children (non-resident): ................ 45,00 •
Children (resident): ....................... 22,50 •
Please send us your membership subscription by
mail, fax or e-mail, or call us, and we will sign
you up immediately.
During the past months our organisation has been focusing,
with extraordinary expectation, on the organisation of the V
International Parrot Congress, which we will host during the last
days of September. As in the previous congresses, I have commited
myself to ensure every detail in Loro Parque will meet the
circumstances, and all the staff are working hard to make it true.
This is why I am sure that we are going to give to the 800
participants an excellent impression of our organisation, and about
our efforts to improve parrot management in captivity and their
conservation status in the wild.
The 2002 summer has produced other interesting events
that we want to review in this issue of Cyanopsitta. On one hand
our presence at the WAZA meeting hosted in Vienna, to which I
attended personally with David Waugh, and that is fully reported
on the next page. On the other hand, the announced transfer of our
lowland gorilla Ivo, who was a member of the pioneering bachelor
group established in Loro Parque, and who, since June the 15th, is
now integrated into a family group in the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam.
We are extraordinarily encouraged by this positive result of the
bachelor group, which proves it is a powerful tool in the management
of the captive gorilla population.
Following the suggestions made by a broad group of
members who responded to the questionnaire sent in the previous
issue, we are going to increase the number of articles related to
parrot breeding and to captive management in our newsletter, and
also those related to veterinary questions. In this issue, we have
decided to publish an up-to-date list of all the parrot species and
subspecies in the collection of Loro Parque Fundacion, something
traditional in the «old» issues of Cyanopsitta and that, from now
on, you will find permanently up-to-date in our webpage. That is
also the reason why we have published in this occasion an article
about the breeding and keeping of the Chirique conure.
About our conservation activities, this issue includes an
article by Martin Schaefer of the first insights into the ecology and
conservation of the El Oro parakeet, one of the latest projects that
the foundation has begun to fund. Moreover, we include the latest
news on the Spix’s Macaw Conservation Project, which seems to
face serious challenges to restart.
With my best wishes,
Bank Account:
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA)
Swift Code BBVA ESMM
0182 5310 61 001635615-8
Wolfgang Kiessling
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
Loro Parque accepted as a member of the
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Annual Conferences of
WAZA and CBSG
This year, from 13th to 17th August, the Annual
Conference of the World Association of Zoos and
Aquariums (WAZA) was hosted by the Schönbrunn
Zoo, Vienna to coincide with the 250th anniversary of
what is now the oldest surviving zoo in the world. Loro
Parque wished the Schönbrunn Zoo a very happy
anniversary, and had an additional reason to celebrate,
this being its acceptance as a member of WAZA. Our
entry coincides with an important step in WAZA's
history, whereby it now has a full-time secretariat and
a much more proactive position as regards the
conservation and education importance of progressive
zoological parks.
As a mark of WAZA´s increasingly important
role to promote zoos and conservation, the conference
was addressed by two leading authorities in
conservation, Claude Martin the Director General of
WWF-International, and Achim Steiner the Director
General of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
They delivered informative presentations about the state
of the Earth and conservation priorities, with a
recognition of the huge public awareness potential of
good zoos, and a plea for these zoos to connect their
visitors with the concept of sustainable living, and
thereby encourage them to contribute to biodiversity
conservation.
The theme of the conference was "holistic
animal management ex situ - the road to conservation
in situ", and Mr Wolfgang Kiessling presented Loro
Parque to the delegates as new member with an
already impressive record of successfully linking
captive with wild. This message was reinforced with
a presentation by David Waugh about the ex situ and
in situ conservation activities of the Loro Parque
Fundación.
David Waugh also represented Loro Parque
and Fundación at the annual conference of the
Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG) of the
World Conservation Union (held 10th to 13th Sept.).
This meeting tackled several important issues affecting
the contribution of zoos to conservation, in particular
how to be more effective in measuring conservation
gains resulting from support and subsequent activities.
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
First transfer of our gorilla
bachelor group
Since 1992 Loro Parque has housed a bachelor group of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla g. gorilla). This grouping was designed to avoid conflicts, while mantaining the social behaviour of the animals. Ten years after the creation of this pioneering tool in gorilla captive population management, one of our males, Ivo, has been transfered to Artis
Zoo, where he will lead a gorilla family group.
Within the EEP programme, LP was the first
European institution to start the stimulating and pioneering project to keep gorillas in a bachelor group.
The main purpose of the project was to keep
surplus males together so as to give them the possibility to socialize properly within a group and develop normal behaviour. Furthermore, the bachelor
group can be used as a reserve of genetically less
represented animals within the EEP programme and
eventually be transferred to other zoos in case of
need. All our gorillas arrived in Loro Parque when
they were very young, apart from Schorsch who
was already adult.
The founders of the group, Ivo and Noel,
both arrived from Munich in November 1992 when
they were 4 and 6 years old. 22 years old Schorsch
arrived from Nuremberg in October '94. In '95 the
last three animals arrived, Maayabu and Rafiki from
Stuttgart, and Pole-Pole from Munich. On arrival
Maayabu was 7 years old, Pole-Pole 6 years old
and Rafiki 4.
The dominance aptitude of Ivo has been
evident since his arrival in Loro Parque. In fact he
took the leadership very early, when he was still a
black-back, but he shared the leadership with Noel
for a while and then they started challenging each
other. When Loro Parque received advice from the
gorilla EEP coordinator that a specimen from our
bachelor group to be moved to another zoo, it was
thought that Ivo was the most suitable animal for
breeding proposes, for both his leading behaviour
and his good attitude towards young individuals.
Thus after testing Ivo for the most common infectious diseases, after running some noninvasive hormonal tests in order to evaluate his fertility, and after finally organizing the flight and all
the documents, everything was ready for the shipment. Two people had to accompany him during
the trip, Roman Alvarez the gorilla head keeper and
Dr. Linda Timossi his veterinarian. This was decided for the well-being of the animal during the
introduction process into a new environment and to
the new group, and for security reasons during the
journey
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
immediately to have contact with him. Soon Shindi
lost the support of Dafina. Ivo was surprised about
this behaviour and escaped from attack, but little by
little he was more sure of himself.
It was decided to leave the animals together
overnight, giving them the possibility to pass more
time interacting, without the interference of the public and the keepers.
The day after, the animals were much quieter and Ivo was more dominant, Binti continued
trying have a deeper contact with him. On Monday
Ivo was introduced successfully into the outside
exhibit with no aggression shown from the females.
A last note: Shindi and Dafina (both handreared), have already bred, but they abandoned their
babies after some time. Binti (mother-reared), has
not bred yet because she is too young, but being
mother-reared she displays a normal behaviour and
she is the female that most likely will breed and
raise the baby successfully.
The hope is that the other two females will
learn how to take care of young gorillas observing
Binti's behaviour with the baby. For this reason
Dafina and Shindi will undergo a contraceptive
treatment.
The shipment of Ivo to Artis Zoo was
planned for Thursday, June 13th. Early in the morning we anesthetized Ivo in order to transfer him into
the crate and afterwards the anesthesia was reversed
to keep him awake during the journey. Although it
was a very long trip, leaving Loro Parque at 7:30
am and arriving at Artis at 1:30 am the day after,
everything was smooth and Ivo was calm in his
crate. In any moment during the journey the keepers were able to have contact with him in order to
check his status, to feed him or offer him water.
As soon as Ivo arrived in Artis zoo, he was
released from the crate, the keepers offered him
some food and drink, and finally let him rest alone.
In Artis zoo they have three female western lowland gorillas, Binti, Dafina and Shindi, and all the
females were introduced to Ivo with the same stepby-step procedure.
On Friday noon Ivo was introduced to the
indoor exhibit, while the females were in the exhibit
outside. In the afternoon we gave the possibility for
the animals to have visual contact, calling the females into the resting area of the facility. The three
females and Ivo showed interest between each
other, and Binty was the one that showed most interest to this novelty.
Saturday it was decided physically to introduce Ivo and the females.
At the beginning Shindi and Dafina showed
aggressive behaviour towards Ivo, while Binti tried
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
The keeping and breeding
of the Chiriqui conure
During the last few years, the Pyrrhura
genus has become rather popular in captivity. Ten
years ago, many of its species were considered as
not very common and difficult to obtain; but today,
quite a number of them can be found in parrot
collections throughout the world. The Crimsonbellied conure (Pyrrhura perlata perlata), for
example, which cost around 10.000 Euros (pair) at
that time, nowadays is sold for a few hundred Euros.
The main reason for this devaluation is the fact that
this species is very easy to breed. In the meantime,
the number of Crimson-bellied conures in captivity
has increased so much that, very soon, this beautiful
parrot will also be found on the pet market. Indeed,
the Crimson-bellied conure is a very good bird for
any beginner because of their playful behaviour and
their simple lifestyle. Given the necessary conditions
such as adequate housing, feeding and keeping them
in pairs, the holder will be able to enjoy the company
of these birds throughout many years.
In Germany, the Hoffmann's conure
(Pyrrhura hoffmanni hoffmanni) has long since
been an uncommon species, and even today it is not
a typical aviary bird. Its primarily green plumage is
interrupted by a contrasting red spot around the ear,
which gives the parrot an attractive appearance. In
Germany, the Chiriqui conure (Pyrrhura hoffmanni
gaudens), a subspecies of the Hoffmann's conure,
was not held in captivity until recently.
bordering Bocas del Toro. It lives in partly forested
areas, their extremes and also in areas with
secondary vegetation in tropical and subtropical
terrain between 500 and 3.000 m above sea level.
In February 1997, Loro Parque managed to
obtain three pairs of Chiriqui conures from a breeder
in Florida; the birds are offspring from his own
collection and of no direct parental kinship. The
population of the parrot at that time was known to
be relatively small. The subspecies differs from the
nominal form in colour, since the plumage, especially
of the head, is yellow rather than green. The
shoulders, the under wing and the outer primary wing
feathers are also yellow. The Chiriqui conure is
approximately one centimetre bigger than the
Hofmann's conure and weighs between 80 and 90
grams.
In his book‚ Parrots, Robiller (1990) states
that none of the two subspecies has been introduced
to Europe. The first breeding worldwide of
Pyrrhura hoffmanni gaudens took place in 1982
at Rowley in Arizona, when two chicks were
successfully raised.
The Chiriqui conures of the Foundation's
collection are housed in suspended aviaries with a
length of three metres and a height and width of
one metre respectively. The aviaries are installed
at a distance of around one to one and a half metres
from the ground.
The Chiriqui conure originates from Western
Panama, in Central Chiriqui as well as in the
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
laid in 2001 were 28,95 mm x 20,92 mm; 27,63 x
20,00 mm; 27,95 mm x 21,29 mm; 28,91 mm x 20,51
mm; 28,52 mm x 20,85 mm; 28,94 mm x 20,41 mm .
The interior of the aviaries is equipped with
perches and two nest boxes each. The latter all have
the same surface, measuring 22 cm x 22 cm, but
are different in height, i.e., 45 cm and 65 cm
respectively. One of the nest boxes is fixed at the
front part of the aviaries. Clearly, the Pyrrhura
species prefer the larger nest boxes, however there
are animals which also use the smaller ones. To
facilitate climbing inside the nest box, which is
padded with sawdust, we fix a piece of wire mesh.
Usually, the hen lays an egg every other day;
however, since she starts brooding already as of the
first, latest the second egg, the young hatch after
24 days maintaining the same rhythm, providing that
every egg is fertile. Now and then, some eggs
happen to be infertile. Chiriqui conures are known
to be good parents hatching their offspring without
any interferences. The hatching takes approximately
50 days until fledging; at that point, the chicks are
hardly distinguishable from their parents in size.
The food is supplied from outside; this way,
it is not necessary to open the aviary when
exchanging the dishes. The latter are placed in a
specially designed "window" through which the birds
can easily access the food and water through
openings in the wire. Thereby the dishes can neither
be moved nor removed from the fixing points.
After another four weeks period in which
the young learn to feed independently, they are
gradually separated from their parents, since these,
in most cases, are already brooding the second
clutch. Before being transferred to an aviary of their
own, the young are endoscopied by our vet team to
determine their sex.
Feeding takes place twice a day, between 8
and 9 am., and 2 and 3 pm.. The parrots also receive
fresh water when exchanging the food dishes. In
the morning, the birds are fed fruit and vegetables
as well as green food depending on the season. This
usually includes at least four or five different types
of fruit, and a few added seeds.
The first Chiriqui conure bred in Loro Parque
hatched in 1997, the same year the birds were
obtained from the US ( Roger G. Sweeney reported
on this breeding success in 'Gefiederte Welt' 8/98,
p. 298 - 299). This was probably the first known
breeding of the species in Europe, and thus the first
one acknowledged as such. In the following year,
all three pairs started breeding. Until summer 2001,
they reproduced yearly, although with alternating
success. Meanwhile, the birds of the second
generation also produce offspring, which means that
Loro Parque was able to breed a viable and sound
population of this subspecies, contributing through
the best possible management that this wonderful
species persists in captivity.
In the afternoon, the parrots are offered the
usual seeds consisting of a commercial seed mixture
for conures by Versele-Laga. When a pair is raising
young, they get an additional food dish which
contains the same types of food. They also receive
fresh corn on the cob which is cultivated throughout
the year on this island.
The female lays an average of four to six
eggs, which appear to be quite big in relation to the
species' size: The measures of a clutch of six eggs
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
MEETING POINT - MEETING POINT - MEETING POINT - MEETING POINT
At the end of the
scholastic year we
received the visit
of the new General
Manager
of
Educational
Promotion, Mrs
Isabel de Luis
Lorenzo, who
accompanied a
school
group
Loro Parque is always
trying to bring a smile to
the face of children,
especially those suffering sad situations.
During the past months
Loro Parque has invited
invited by the Educational Department of the Canary Island
Government. The same week Loro Parque celebrated the
visit of the school group number 15.000
a group of Belorussian
children (above) and a
group of Saharan
children (right) to visit
its installations.
Loro Parque invited
120 people from the
San
Roque
neighbourhood (one
of
those
that
suffered the most in
the flood of Santa
Cruz de Tenerife in
March) to spend a
day in our installations. Some of them are still working to
repair the damage to their homes and belongings, and this is
the reason why this was a specially relaxing day for them.
The famous spanish actress Carmen Sevilla visited us with
her family, and posed with one of our cheerful mascots.
As with every time they reach port in Tenerife, the crew of
the Anastasias, one of the ships of the NGO Mercy Ships,
take a break from their admirable activity in favour of the
poorest people of the World. This organisation has spent 24
years sailing all over the World to compensate the differences
between the rich and the poor countries.
Hipólito Mejía, president of the Dominican Republic, who
traveled to the Canary Islands on an official visit at the end
of May, after his attendance at the European Union - Latin
America and Caribbean Summit, could not resist the
temptation to interrupt his official duties to visit Loro Parque.
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
LORO PARQUE HOTLINE - LORO PARQUE HOTLINE - LORO PARQUE HOTLINE
Since June Loro Parque has offered a bus
service during the weekends from Santa Cruz, the capital
city of Tenerife, to its installations in Puerto de la Cruz.
With this new public transportation route, Loro Parque
wants to facilitate access to all visitors who do not want
to use their private vehicles. The service offers four return
trips each Saturday and Sunday.
In July the Canary Islands Government
Comission on land use planning approved the Adeje
Municipality (in the south of Tenerife) urban plan in which
the land adquired by Loro Parque qualifies for commercial
and leisure activities. This urban qualification will permit
the development of the future project of Loro Parque
in the south of Tenerife island. It is planned to place the
first stone of this project during the celebration of Loro
Parque’s 30th anniversary.
The veterinarian in charge of Loro Parque’s mammals, Linda Timossi, has been elected to be a
member of the EEP committee for the Humboldt
penguin Spheniscus humboldti.
Another baby sea lion, the seventh, was born
on July the 13th , a female which weighed around 7.5 kg.
The newborn, which has not yet received a name, spends
the most part of the day sleeping or playing with water,
despite that she do not swim, under the care of her mother,
Tina. The baby has grown to almost 12 kg in the first
month, but is not yet on exhibit.
to break the previous Apnea free immersion world record,
unfortunately without success.
As part of the collaborative activities with the
Spanish organisation for National Airports and Air Trafic
Control (AENA), Loro Parque sponsored the first Golf
tournament , which was celebrated in Golf del Sur course
in Tenerife.
The Spanish TV music programme Musica Si
shot eight episodes in Loro Parque, which will be
broadcast during July, August and September. This TV
programme has been on the air for five years, and it
presents musical performances of international artists.
Within the next months, Loro Parque will amplify
its tourism offer with a new exhibit. The new installation
is being prepared very carefully to meet the quality and
animal welfare requirements of Loro Parque. Its contents,
which will not be divulged until its inauguration, will also
be an innovation. It will represent a step foward in the
philosophy of animal exhibits, showing the animals in an
environment as naturalistic as it possibly can be.
Because of the preparations for this new exhibit,
our bird keeper Matthias Reinschmidt and veterinarian
Marcellus Bürkle, travelled to Iceland, to carry some of
the new animals for Loro Parque.
In the next issues we will give you more details
of the characteristics and contents of the newest exhibit
of Loro Parque.
The Cycling Club Niko Motobike is winning
competitions all around the island, and their members
are showing their dominance. After winning the first three
positions in the Santa Cruz Cup, they are preparing for
the Tenerife Tour which will be held in September.
Loro Parque is offering a new kind of visit: the
possibility to celebrate a birthday party in the wonderful
setting of our park. To this end, a commercial product
has been designed which includes a party and activities
for all the participants.
Herbert Hitsch, world champion of Apnea,
submerged in the metacrilate cylinder of Planet Penguin.
The Austrian sportsman came to Tenerife in an attempt
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
FOUNDATION NEWS - FOUNDATION NEWS
Recently we received a communication from
the Dutch parrot journal Pakara, which informed us of
the decision of the Pakara Comittee to continue funding
LPF projects. To this end, they will make a donation of
500 • to be used in the feather plucking project.
Jaap Reijmerin, member of the Pakara Comittee,
will attend the V International Parrot Congress in
September, and will take the opportunity to hand a
symbolic 500 • cheque to the Foundation.
We profoundly thank this collaboration from
Pakara, which will benefit the entire parrot population,
helping to better understand a problem of maximum
concern, as indeed is feather plucking.
The transfer of the Spix’s Macaws (which was
announced in the previous issue of Cyanopsitta) has
suffered some delay due to the impossibility of any
representative of IBAMA to pick up the individuals from
Tenerife. The latest news suggests that Iolita Bampi will
take advantage of her presence in the V International
Parrot Congress to carry to Brazil herself the male
carcass and the unpaired female. The transfer is planned
for the 23th of September.
The best captive parrot news in July was,
definitely, the first captive breeding worldwide of the
Tuipara Parakeet. A pair of Brotogeris chrysopterus
tuipara, a subspecies of the Golden-winged Parakeet
(Brotogeris chrysopterus), which is very rare in captivity,
was raising one chick at Loro Parque. This parakeet
differs from the nominate subspecies with regard to the
colour of the plumage which is a lighter green, as well
as its size, exceeding the nominate subspecies by
approximately two centimetres; moreover, its front is
of orange colour as well as the stain on the chin. In
order to stimulate the pair and make them reproduce,
we have provided them with additional food items, i.e.,
feeding them fresh flowers every day such as hibiscus.
These are very much enjoyed by the parakeets, which
open them immediately to consume the fresh nectar. On
the 28th May, the pair eventually laid their first egg,
followed by two others shortly afterwards.
Unfortunately, only one of the eggs laid was fertile,
although the chick which hatched is being perfectly
looked after by the parents. After one and a half weeks,
the young was ringed, and we trust that it will continue
to develop successfully until it reaches the stage of
independence. Since there are no descriptions in the
literature about prior successful breedings of this
subspecies, we suppose that this hatching represents
the first one worldwide in captivity.
In July, two young Gang-gang cockatoos
10
(Callocephalon fimbriatum) were being hand-reared at
our baby station, and another two were being raised by
their parents at the Loro Parque breeding centre of La
Vera. Another pair had laid the first egg of their second
clutch and thus were full-time breeders, so we are
expecting this year to be rather successful in the breeding
of this species.
Simultaneously, the breeding season had
gradually set in for our Blue-throated macaws (Ara
glaucogularis), with five pairs having produced clutches
or already raising young. A new pair has so far not
demonstrated reproductive behaviour.
Meanwhile, we have finally succeeded with the
breeding of our Greater Alpine Lorikeets
(Oreopsittacus arfaki major). These animals are given
very special care at our installations and receive all the
necessary specialities every day. After the first successful
clutch of two chicks, the first pair to reproduce has laid
another clutch which resulted in another two young,
and a second pair has also started breeding and is
currently raising offspring.
Apart from that, we are very happy about the
reproductive success of our Double-eyed Fig Parrots
(Opopsitta diophthalma), which have raised two chicks,
after the first offspring which hatched earlier this year
regrettably did not survive. The fledglings are already
independent and accompany their parents throughout
the aviary.
Even in July, we were able to record a large
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
FOUNDATION NEWS - FOUNDATION NEWS
number of offspring. Compared to last year, where
the majority of chicks was ringed in May, the hatching
and ringing of young is happening rather late this year.
In 2002, the ‚strongest' month was June with a total of
192 ringed chicks, although in July this record was nearly
equalled with 191 altogether; normally, we would have
expected the numbers to drop again, as has happened in
former years. We attribute this delay to the weather
conditions, which were responsible for many species to
set-in their reproductive activity later in the year. In the
meantime, 988 chicks have been ringed, which
corresponds to an increase of approximately 17 %
compared to last year.
Furthermore, we have enlarged our collection
with two new pairs of Josephine's lorikeets
(Charmosyna josefinae). These birds, whose natural
distribution lies in Papua New Guinea, were obtained
from a German breeder. Thus, the number of species
and subspecies held at Loro Parque has increased to
338.
We have also been able to integrate a pair of
Triton cockatoos (Cacatua g. triton) from a private
holder, who donated his birds to the Foundation, as well
as two female Roberts's parakeets (Bolborhynchus
aurifrons robertsi), which were kindly donated by Mr.
Hodel, a Swiss breeder.
A very special breeding result in August was
the first breeding of the Morotai Chattering lory(Lorius
garrulus morotaianus) at Loro Parque. In our
installations, we house all three subspecies of the
Chattering lory (Lorius garrulus). The Morotai
Chattering lory differs from the other subspecies, because
its back is red instead of yellow. At the beginning the
two individuals which we hold in our breeding centre
just did not want to come together; the male was
extremely dominant, and every time we tried to put the
two together it would chase the female. Therefore, we
had to remove the latter to avoid it from suffering any
damage. Finally, we gave it a last try - it occurred to us
that maybe by transferring the two into the large flocking
aviary of the Palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus),
they might possibly form a pair under the pressure of
the big cockatoos. And this is what happened. Within
less than a month, the pair had produced two fertile
eggs, which we removed to make sure that they hatched
successfully, because we did not know how reliable the
pair was. Currently, the two chicks are being hand-reared
at our baby station and are doing well. Shortly after, the
female laid another clutch, which again produced two
young. Only this time, they are being raised satisfactorily
11
by their parents. Since there is no information given in
literature about the breeding of this subspecies in
captivity, we suppose that the breeding of four chicks
of the Morotai Chattering lory is the first breeding ever
worldwide.
At present, our Thick-billed parrots
(Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) have also started breeding
and have already produced at least two fertile eggs. Since
the pair notoriously destroys the eggs, we have moved
them from the cavity to the hand-rearing station.
After having already obtained offspring from
our first, settled pair of Blue-headed macaws (Ara
couloni), one of our own breeding pairs which had been
formed at Loro Parque has started breeding and produced
its first egg.
Another species which is successfully raising
young this season is the Red-fronted macaw (Ara
rubrogenys), with six young ringed so far.
However, neither of our two pairs of Andean
parakeets (Bolborynchus orbygnesius), which, for the
first time, had raised young last year in May, had
manifested any signs of reproductive behaviour. Only
recently have we observed that both pairs entered the
nest box, and finally produced eggs. Again, we think
that this behaviour is due to the weather situation, which
has delayed the beginning of the breeding activities at
least a few months.
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
The biggest and most diverse
parrot collection in the World
The parrot collection housed in Loro Parque
in Tenerife represents the biggest and most diverse
worldwide, with altogether 340 different parrot species
and subspecies and 3.500 individuals. This collection
was donated by Loro Parque to the Foundation.
Naturally, the management of such a huge collection
is a daily challenge.
In Loro Parque, at least one pair of almost
every species is exhibited. The major part of the
collection, however, is accommodated in the "La Vera"
breeding centre at a distance of approximately three
kilometres from the park. It has a surface area of
approximately 4 hectares. This breeding station is a
non-public establishment and favours the productivity
of the parrots through its calm situation and best
possible housing of the birds in large aviaries.
Loro Parque Fundación is an organization
which funds, supports and carries out a large number
of breeding, research and field projects to help protect
endangered parrot species in the wild.
Each year, over 1.000 chicks are reared in the
collection. Those which belong to endangered species
are used for breeding programmes to build up a
breeding stock; and to this end, they are also
transferred to other zoos, bird parks and breeders. On
top of this, a surplus stock of parrots is produced
suitable for sale. It is important to consider that all
the benefits obtained from the sale of captive parrots
are used to fund the Foundation's field projects.
Therefore, each holder or breeder who buys a parrot
from Loro Parque can be sure that he is making a
contribution to conservation.
Why do we keep parrots? How many pairs of
one species are there? What happens to the chicks?
Are they hand-reared? Or are they raised by their
parents? The answer to this and other questions will
be found in a management plan which is being
established for the whole collection.
Here at Loro Parque Fundación, we have a
unique genetic reserve for many endangered and less
endangered parrot species. And it is imperative that
we conserve and protect them as a natural heritage
for future generations.
This is the principal guideline which determines all of
our actions. This means in particular that we have to
consider each parrot species and subspecies as a
separate case with different needs. It has to be
guaranteed that no signs of degeneration occur as a
consequence of inbreeding. To this end, as well as
exchanges of birds with other institutions, we try to
keep a minimum of three breeding pairs of a species
to make sure that new breeding pairs which are not
related may be created. In some species, it is very
difficult to obtain three unrelated pairs in the first
place, being extremely uncommonly held species in
captivity such as the St Vincent amazon (Amazona
guildingii) or the Spix's macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii).
An important aspect of the management of the
parrot collection are the European breeding
programmes (EEP) and studbooks (European - ESB;
International - ISB). Loro Parque is EEP coordinator
for two species, i.e., the Blue-throated macaw (Ara
glaucogularis) (and ISB coordinator) and the Redbrowed amazon (Amazona rhodocorytha), as well as
studbook coordinator for the ESBs of the Redspectacled amazon (Amazona pretrei), the Red and
blue lory ( Eos histrio) and the Mount Apo lory
(Trichoglossus johnstoniae). It also contributes to
studbooks which are coordinated by other
institutions. In the case of these animals, it is
important to have more individuals to help secure the
genetic viability of the worldwide population, because
one day it might be necessary to fall back on the
captive population if a release programme is needed
to save an endangered species in its natural habitat.
Loro Parque Fundación has a deep interest in
exchanging information and experience with other
institutions and breeders to increase our knowledge
on parrots. We have, indeed, attained many important
things during the last few years; however, we should
not content ourselves with what we have already
accomplished, but rather pursue the development and
improvement of the keeping of parrots in captivity.
As follows, you will find our current parrot
stock list updated on the 1st October 2002:
1.
2.
3.
4.
12
Agapornis canus
Agapornis fischeri
Agapornis lilianae
Agapornis nigrigenis
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
Agapornis personata
Agapornis pullaria
Agapornis roseicollis
Agapornis taranta
Alisterus a. dorsalis
Alisterus a. amboinensis
Alisterus a. buruensis
Alisterus a. hypophonius
Alisterus c. moszkowskii
Alisterus s. scapularis
Amazona a. aestiva
Amazona a. xanthopteryx
Amazona agilis
Amazona a. albifrons
Amazona a. nana
Amazona amazonica
Amazona arausiaca
Amazona a. autumnalis
Amazona a. diadema
Amazona a. lilacina
Amazona a. salvini
Amazona barbadensis
Amazona brasiliensis
Amazona collaria
Amazona dufresniana
Amazona rhodocorytha
Amazona f. farinosa
Amazona f. guatemalae
Amazona f. virenticeps
Amazona f. bodini
Amazona f. festiva
Amazona finschi
Amazona guildingii
Amazona m. mercenaria
Amazone mercenaria canipalliata
Amazona l. leucocephala
Amazona l. caymanensis
Amazona o. auropalliata
Amazona o. nattereri
Amazona o. ochrocephala
Amazona o. oratrix
Amazona o. caribae
Amazona o. panamensis
Amazona o. parvipes
Amazona o. tresmariae
Amazona o. xantholaema
Amazona pretrei
Amazona tucumana
Amazona ventralis
Amazona vinacea
Amazona viridigenalis
Amazona xantholora
Amazona xanthops
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
Aprosmictus erythropterus
Aprosmictus jonquillaceus
Ara ambigua
Ara ararauna
Ara auricollis
Ara chloroptera
Ara couloni
Ara glaucogularis
Ara macao
Ara manilata
Ara maracana
Ara m. militaris
Ara n. cumanensis
Ara n. nobilis
73. Ara rubrogenys
13
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
Ara severa
Aratinga a. acuticaudata
Aratinga a. haemorhous
Aratinga aurea
Aratinga auricapilla
Aratinga cactorum
Aratinga c. canicularis
Aratinga c. eburnirostrum
Aratinga c. clarae
Aratinga chloroptera
Aratinga erythrogenys
Aratinga euops
Aratinga finschi
Aratinga jandaya
Aratinga holochlora
Aratinga rubritorquis
Aratinga solstitialis
Aratinga leucophthalmus
Aratinga mitrata
Aratinga n. astec
Aratinga n. nana
Aratinga p. pertinax
Aratinga p. surinama
107. Bolborhynchus orbygnesius
108. Brotogeris c. beniensis
109. Brotogeris c. cyanoptera
110. Brotogeris c. chrysopterus
111. Brotogeris c. tuipara
112. Brotogeris jugularis
113. Brotogeris v. versicolurus
114. Brotogeris v. chiriri
115. Brotogeris pyrrhopterus
116. Brotogeris tirica
117. Brotogeris sanctithomae
118. Cacatua alba
119. Cacatua ducorpsii
120. Cacatua g. eleonora
121. Cacatua g. galerita
122. Cacatua g. triton
123. Cacatua goffini
124. Cacatua haematuropygia
125. Cacatua leadbeateri
126. Cacatua moluccensis
127. Cacatua ophthalmica
128. Cacatua pastinator
129. Cacatua s. abotti
130. Cacatua s. sulphurea
131. Cacatua s. sanguinea
132. Cacatua s. citrinocristata
133. Cacatua tenuirostris
134. Callocephalon fimbriatum
135. Calyptorhynchus f. baudini
136. Calyptorhynchus f. funereus
137. Calyptorhynchus magnificus
Parrot Field Conservation Projects
97. Aratinga w. frontata
98. Aratinga weddellii
99. Barnardius b. barnardi
100. Barnardius b. macgillivrayi
101. Barnardius z. semitorquatus
102. Barnardius z. zonarius
103. Bolborhynchus aymara
104. Bolborhynchus lineola
105. Bolborhynchus a. aurifrons
106. Bolborhynchus a. robertsi
14
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
138. Chalcopsitta a. atra
139. Chalcopsitta a. bernsteini
140. Chalcopsitta a. insignis
141. Chalcopsitta cardinalis
142. Chalcopsitta duivenbodei
143. Chalcopsitta scintillata
144. Charmosyna josephinae
145. Charmosyna multistriata
146. Charmosyna p. goliathina
147. Charmosyna p. placentis
148. Charmosyna p. subplacens
149. Charmosyna pulchella
150. Charmosyna rubronotata
151. Coracopsis nigra
168. Eclectus r. cornelia
169. Enicognathus ferrugineus
170. Enicognathus leptorhynchus
171. Eolophus roseicapilla
172. Eos b. cyanonothus
173. Eos bornea
174. Eos cyanogenia
175. Eos histrio
176. Eos reticulata
177. Eos semilarvata
178. Eos s. squamata
179. Eos s. obiensis
180. Eos s. riciniata
181. Eos s. atrocaerulea
182. Eunymphicus c. cornutus
183. Forpus coelestis
184. Forpus conspicillatus
185. Forpus cyanopygius
186. Forpus passerinus
187. Forpus p.deliciosus
188. Forpus p. viridissimus
189. Forpus spengeli
190. Forpus xanthops
191. Forpus x. flavissimus
192. Forpus x. xanthopterygius
193. Glosopsitta concinna
194. Graydidascalus brachyurus
195. Guarouba guarouba
196. Lathamus discolor
197. Loriculus galgulus
198. Loriculus philippensis
199. Loriculus stigmatus
200. Loriculus vernalis
201. Lorius chlorocercus
202. Lorius domicellus
203. Lorius garrulus
152. Coracopsis v. vasa
153. Coracopsis v. drouhardi
154. Cyanoliseus p. patagonus
155. Cyanoliseus p. andinus
156. Cyanoliseus p. bloxami
157. Cyanopsitta spixii
158. Cyanoramphus auriceps
159. Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae
160. Deroptyus a. accipitrinus
161. Deroptyus a. fuscifrons
162. Eclectus r. aruensis
163. Eclectus r. polychloros
164. Eclectus r. roratus
165. Eclectus r. solomonensis
166. Eclectus r. vosmaeri
167. Eclectus r. riedeli
204. Lorius g. flaviopalliatus
15
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
205. Lorius g. morataianus
206. Lorius lory
207. Lorius l. salvadori
208. Lorius l. erythrothorax
209. Melopsittacus undulatus
210. Myiopsitta monachus
211. Nandayus nenday
212. Neophema crhysostoma
213. Neophema bourki
214. Neophema elegans
215. Neophema pulchella
216. Neophema splendida
217. Neopsittacus musschenbroekii
218. Neopsittacus pullicauda
219. Nestor notabilis
220. Nymphicus hollandicus
221. Opopsitta diophthalma
222. Opopsitta gulielmiterti
223. Opopsitta g. amabilis
224. Oreopsittacus arfaki major
225. Pionites l. leucogaster
226. Pionites l. xanthomeria
227. Pionites melanocephala
228. Pionopsitta pileata
229. Pionus chalcopterus
230. Pionus fuscus
231. Pionus maximiliani
232. Pionus menstruus
233. Pionus s. corallinus
234. Pionus senilis
235. Pionus seniloides
236. Pionus tumultuosus
237. Platycercus a. adscitus
238. Platycercus a. palliceps
239. Platycercus a. adelaidae
240. Platycercus a. subadelaide
241. Platycercus caledonicus
242. Platycercus elegans
243. Platycercus eximius
244. Platycercus flaveolus
245. Platycercus icterotis
246. Platycercus venustus
247. Poicephalus cryptoxanthus
248. Poicephalus g. gulielmi
249. Poicephalus g. fantiensis
250. Poicephalus g. massaicus
251. Poicephalus meyeri
252. Poicephalus r. fuscicollis
253. Poicephalus rueppellii
254. Poicephalus rufiventris
255. Poicephalus senegalus
256. Poicephalus s. mesotypus
257. Polytelis alexandrae
258. Polytelis anthopeplus
259. Polytelis swainsonii
260. Prioniturus mada
261. Probosciger a. aterrimus
262. Probosciger a. goliath
263. Prosopeia t. tabuensis
264. Prosopeia splendens
265. Psephotus c. chrysopterygius
266. Psephotus c dissimilis
267. Psephotus h. haematogaster
268. Psephotus h. haematorrhous
269. Psephotus haematonotus
270. Psephotus varius
271. Pseudeos fuscata
272. Psittacula a. abotti
273. Psittacula a. alexandri
274. Psittacula calthorpae
275. Psittacula columboides
276. Psittacula cyanocephala
277. Psittacula derbyana
16
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
278. Psittacula e. siamensis
279. Psittacula eupatria
280. Psittacula h. finschii
281. Psittacula himalayana
282. Psittacula k. krameri
283. Psittacula k. manillensis
311. Pyrrhura p. roseifrons
312. Pyrrhura rhodocephala
313. Pyrrhura r. rupicola
314. Pyrrhura r. sandiae
315. Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
316. Tanygnathus lucionensis
317. Tanygnathus megalorhynchus
318. Tanygnathus sumatranus
319. Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
320. Trichoglossus euteles
321. Trichoglossus f. flavoviridis
322. Trichoglossus f. meyeri
323. Trichoglossus goldiei
324. Trichoglossus h. capistratus
325. Trichoglossus h. ceruliceps
326. Trichoglossus h. djampeanus
327. Trichoglossus h. forsteni
328. Trichoglossus h. haematodus
284. Psittacula longicauda
285. Psittacula roseata
286. Psittaculirostris desmarestii
287. Psittaculirostris edwardsii
288. Psittaculirostris salvadori
289. Psittacus e. erithacus
290. Psittacus e. timneh
291. Psittinus cyanurus
292. Psittrichas fulgidus
293. Purpureicephalus spurius
294. Pyrrhura cruentata
295. Pyrrhura egregia
296. Pyrrhura frontalis
297. Pyrrhura hoffmanni gaudens
298. Pyrrhura l. leucotis
299. Pyrrhura l. emma
300. Pyrrhura l. griseipectus
301. Pyrrhura m. melanura
302. Pyrrhura m. pacifica
303. Pyrrhura m. souancei
304. Pyrrhura m. molinae
305. Pyrrhura m. restricta
306. Pyrrhura m. hypoxantha
307. Pyrrhura p. coerulescens
308. Pyrrhura p. lepida
309. Pyrrhura p. perlata
310. Pyrrhura p. picta
329. Trichoglossus h. massena
330. Trichoglossus h. mitchelli
331. Trichoglossus h. moluccanus
332. Trichoglossus h. rosenbergii
333. Trichoglossus h. rubritorquis
334. Trichoglossus h. stresemanni
335. Trichoglossus h. weberi
336. Trichoglossus iris
337. Trichoglossus j. johnstoniae
338. Trichoglossus ornatus
339. Triclaria malachitacea
340. Vini australis
Loro Parque Fundación always wishes to improve
the balance of its collection. Therefore, we would kindly ask
all parrot breeders who hold species and subspecies whose
scientific names are not listed on the above mentioned stock
list to contact us.
17
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
IBAMA DISSOLVES THE SPIX'S
MACAW RECOVERY COMMITTEE
In July 2002, the Brazilian government's environmental agency IBAMA finally disbanded the Spix's Macaw Recovery Committee (CPRAA), created
twelve years earlier to bring together a wide range of parties in a unique
effort to save the Spix's macaw from extinction. This is the distressing but
logical result of the developments over the past two years which first led
IBAMA to suspend the CPRAA in February 2001 and have now led to this
drastic decision.
In the March 2001 issue of Cyanopsitta,
the LPF had informed its members and friends
that an extraordinary meeting held in Brasilia one
month earlier had led to the suspension of the
CPRAA, due to the conflict between IBAMA and
those holders - Antonio de Dios and Roland
Messer - that proposed to become independent
from the Committee. The previous transfer of
birds from the Philippines to Qatar, unauthorised
by the CPRAA and the very reason for the
extraordinary meeting, had already provided
sufficient evidence for the change of policy by
these holders. IBAMA at the meeting decided
that it would produce a new structure for the
CPRAA in an effort to reinstall a viable and
effective programme. The developments since
this meeting in Brasilia can be summarised as
follows:
First, several parties - including the two
principal private owners of Spix's macaws
Antonio de Dios and Roland Messer, as well as
Natasha Schischakin, Richard Porter (a U.S.
aviculturist) and a representative of the Swiss
CITES management authority met in Switzerland
to discuss the formation of an independent
programme, without involving the Brazilian
government.
Shortly after, the CITES Secretariat upon
request from IBAMA issued a notification to all
the signatory parties that invites the national
management authorities to consult the Brazilian
CITES Management Authority before issueing
any "permits or certificates for the import, export,
or re-export of specimens of Spix's Macaws".
To w a r d s t h e e n d o f 2 0 0 1 , N a t a s h a
Schischakin who had faced severe pressure by
IBAMA for her performance as keeper of the
International Spix's macaw Studbook, was
relieved of her conservation responsibilities at the
Houston Zoo and then left her employment in
early 2002.
In January 2002, the LPF received
IBAMA's proposal for the restructuring of the
CPRAA. The new structure was based on two
documents that requested of all future members
the return of the ownership of birds to Brazil, or
at least the full compliance with management
decisions taken by a renewed CPRAA; these
documents included explicit conditions to not sell,
and to not transfer Spix's macaws without
consultation of the CPRAA.
In March 2002, Natasha Schischakin was
The Advisory Board of Loro Parque Fundacion
Povl Jorgensen
Aviculturist
Haslev, Denmark
Tomás de Azcárate y Bang
Ministry of the Environment
of the Canary Islands
Tenerife, Spain
Nigel J. Collar
Birdlife International
Leventis Fellow in Conservation Biology
Cambridge University, England
Ian R. Swingland
Founder
Durrell Institute of
Conservation and Ecology
Kent, England
Jørgen B. Thomsen
Senior Vice-President
Conservation International
Washington DC, USA
Susan L. Clubb
Avian Veterinarian
Florida, USA
18
Wolfgang Grummt
Animal Park Friedrichsfelde
Berlin, Germany
Roland Wirth
President
Zoological Society for the Protection
of Species and Populations
Munich, Germany
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
eventually replaced as studbook holder by both
IBAMA and the Coordinator of International
Studbooks, Peter Olney at the Zoological Society
of London. The new Studbook holders appointed
by IBAMA are two leading Brazilian
ornithologists working closely with IBAMA,
Carlos Bianchi and Wanderlei de Morais. It is
worth emphasising that the Brazilian government,
t o t h e p r e s e n t d a y, h a s n o t r e c e i v e d t h e
information the former studbook holder was
requested to submit for the handover of
responsibilities, which implies that valuable
information about the global captive population
may become lost. It was such lack of compliance
that led IBAMA to replace Natasha Schischakin,
and state that it had faced "innumerous problems
regarding [her] performance as studbook keeper,
specially the lack of response to our information
requests and the lack of accuracy and
transparency of [her] attitudes". Her former
involvement in the CPRAA for this and other
reasons becomes an ever-increasing liability to
the possible future of the recovery programme.
I n this c onte xt, re spec te d B ra zi l i an
ornithologist Pedro Scherer Neto and the former
coordinator of the Spix's macaw field
programme, Yara de Melo Barros, decided to
leave the Board of Directors of the recently
created Ara Brasil Institute, intended to become
a macaw conservation foundation supported by
the American Federation of Aviculture, leaving
only Mrs Schischakin as President.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
In July 2002, in view of a lack of positive
responses by the two main private holders
Antonio de Dios and Roland Messer to its
restructuring proposal, IBAMA decided to finally
disband the CPRAA and revoked the original
decree that created the CPRAA in 1990. The
Brazilian government thus assumed full control
over the future recovery of the Spix's macaw.
By that time, the field programme based in the
community of Curaça in Bahia, had vacated the
field station in the area where the last wild bird
had lived and discontinued its activities.
Outside of Brazil, the Loro Parque
Fundación is the only member institution of the
former CPRAA that returned ownership of its
birds and that continues to work together with
the Brazilian government. The LPF thus awaits
the visit by IBAMA's General Fauna Coordinator
Dr Iolita Bampi to pick up one of the two females
it keeps, and the carcass of the male that died in
2000, for them to be also physically returned to
Brazil. From the end of August, the live female
to be shipped is therefore undergoing quarantine
and prophylactic treatment at LPF.
In spite of all the difficulties the recovery
programme is currently facing, the LPF looks
forward to the visit of Dr Bampi and to her
participation at the 5th International Parrot
Convention, to discuss any strategies that could
provide a solution to the current impasse. We will
keep our readers informed.
Current Parrot Field Conservation
Projects of Loro Parque Fundación
Brazil: Spix's Macaw Cyanopsitta spixii Recovery Programme
Brazil: Environmental Education Programme for the Red-tailed Amazon Amazona brasiliensis
in Superagüi National Park, Paraná
Bolivia: Blue-throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis Conservation
Ecuador: Conservation of the El Oro Parakeet Pyrrhura orcesi
Colombia: Conservation of the Yellow-eared Parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis
Dominica: Conservation of the endemic Red-necked and Imperial amazons
St Vincent & the Grenadines: Conservation of the St Vincent Parrot Amazona guildingii
Thailand: Protection of Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary
Philippines: Education and wildlife breeding centres on Negros and Panay islands
Philippines: Red-vented Cockatoo Cacatua haematuropygia Conservation Programme
Indonesia: The nesting ecology of Yellow-crested Cockatoo Cacatua sulphurea on Sumba
Indonesia: Conservation of Endemic Parrots on the Tanimbar Islands
19
No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
First insights in the ecology and
implementation of conservation actions
The El Oro Parakeet
Buenaventura reserve and surrounding pastures in which can be appreciated the high fragmentation of the forest.
Under its recently created Small-scale Grant scheme, the LPF has been supporting
with US$ 10,000 the research and conservation work of Dr Martin Schaefer and
Veronika Schmidt, who closely collaborate with the Ecuadorian NGO Fundación
Jocotoco. The following report summarises the results of the first six months of
the project.
The El Oro Parakeet (Pyrrhura orcesi) is one of the
62 globally threatened bird species in Ecuador. Described
only in 1988, the parrot is still poorly known. A steady decline of its population size over the past decade seemed to
have occurred along with further loss of humid cloud forest
in its range. The species has therefore been classified as
endangered (BirdLife 2000) with a rather rough population
estimate of 2,000 to 10,000 individuals. The El Oro Parakeet
is restricted to a narrow strip of approximately 100km in length
and 5-10km in width of humid montane forest between 600
and 1300m in the Azuay and El Oro Province (hence its name)
of south-western Ecuador (Ridgely and Robbins 1988), where
forest tracts continuously shrink and become more fragmented due to logging and cattle ranching. In fact, after a
deforestation rate of 57% per decade between the fifties and
the eighties of the last century, just 4% of the original forest
cover was still existent in the early nineties (Dodson & Gentry 1991), and by now forest is restricted to the most inaccessible slopes. Currently, there is only one protected site,
where the El Oro Parakeet occurs, the Buenaventura ecological reserve owned by the Fundacion Jocotoco, an international Ecuador-based NGO focussing on land purchase
for the protection of endangered bird species in Latin
America. The reserve lies near Piñas, a small town in the
Andean foothills. It was established at the El Oro Parakeet’s
type locality in order to protect a viable population of the
species. The reserve encloses app. 1000 ha of tracts of humid cloud forest and abandoned pastures (20-30%) at an
elevation between 500 and 800m a.s.l (main part) with one
area rising up to 1100m a.s.l. So far about 300 bird species
have been recorded at this site, including further eight threatened and one near-threatened parrot species all inhabiting
wet forests. This site has therefore been identified as one of
the most important bird areas in Ecuador (Wege and Long
1995). It also harbours a high number of endemic plant species, of which at least 31 are not protected in any other
reserve (Best & Kessler 1995). Apart from the establishment
of this reserve, no actions to preserve the El Oro Parakeet
from extinction have been taken. Overall, the species’ ecology, habitat requirements, and even population sizes are
still unkown. Consequently, no information exists, whether
the reserve holds a viable population of the species since
also the range of daily or seasonal movements have not
been investigated.
Therefore, the project „Conservation of the El Oro
Parakeet“ has been launched in March 2002 with LORO
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
PARQUE FOUNDATION as the main sponsor, Flora and
Fauna International, Strunden Papageien Stiftung, and Stihl
Stiftung as other contributing organisations to gather the
information on the species’ ecology and habitat requirements that will form the basis for the implementation of effective conservation measures. The aims of this study were
first to obtain general knowledge on the species’ population size, breeding success, range size, and feeding ecology.
Second, we investigated the habitat requirements and specifically the habitat use in the fragmented landscape in the
Buenaventura valley, and third we particularly surveyed
whether Buenaventura reserve in its current outlines ensures the survival of a viable population of the species. The
results are currently used as a basis for the development of
a management plan for the reserve. A further aim of the
project is to raise environmental awareness and acceptance
for the reserve in the neighbouring communities. After six
months of project work, we here present preliminary results
for a number of the above issues.
Population size
With a standardized monitoring scheme in the reserve and
all major forest tracts in the vicinity we found a population
of 120-135 individuals of the El Oro Parakeet in the
Buenaventura valley. Birds form flocks with a flock size between four and 22 individuals. After the breeding season,
flocks consist of one to various families which show high
flock constancy. The continuous monitoring of the area will
reveal any changes in population size (e.g. mortality or emigration of juveniles) over the following year. The monitoring of range use, however, revealed, that the reserve in its
current outline does not provide sufficient protection for
most of the observed flocks. No flock is entirely protected
by the reserve. Only ca. 30 individuals frequently use protected habitat, and most flocks range outside the reserve
boundaries.
Breeding success
By April, all fledglings had left the nests, and breeding activity diminished. The breeding success was rather high in
this year’s season. Most pairs of the El Oro Parakeet raised
successfully one or two juveniles while one pair raised three.
Out of 91 birds with known age, 37 were juveniles, and 27
adult pairs, yielding a mean reproductive success of 1.37
juveniles for each pair. This shows a much higher breeding
success than found by the sympatric near-threatened Redmasked Parakeet (Aratinga erythrogens) with a reproductive success of only 0.42 juveniles per pair in the valley. The
latter species breeds in isolated trees on pastures. Nest trees
are easily found by locals and frequently cut down. The
nest hole is opened with a machete (photo) to take juveniles
out of the nests. These birds are sold in nearby towns while
trade seems a to be a minor problem for the El Oro Parakeet
due to their nest sites which are difficult to locate inside the
forest.
Habitat use
Besides using forest tracts the species readily utilizes trees
on pastures for both, feeding on fruits as well as resting.
The latter indicates that pasture trees are not used only
Adult individual of the El Oro Parakeeto captured to attach a radio
collar.
during food scarcity, but that these areas are regularly included in the daily movement pattern of the species. The
species feeds on a variety of different fruiting trees, among
which are Moraceae, Palmae, and Ficus species. Birds have
also been observed feeding on flowers and insects. The
species is mostly found in the canopy and subcanopy layer
rarely ranging lower down. To assess the home range sizes
and the extent of daily and seasonal movements, we employed telemetry to avoid bias by visibiliy and inaccessibility of steep slopes. Transmitters are designed especially for
small parrots as neck collars with no antenna sticking out.
They have a range of 2.25km, a mass of 3.5g, and a maximum
life span of 85 days. Birds are caught at feeding sites with
both ground and canopy nets.
We tracked a flock of seven individuals which so
far uses mainly one forest tract with expeditions to near
pastures. The core area of the home range is about 18ha
over a five-week period. Other flocks use larger areas and
seem to use pastures more frequently than the tracked flock.
Different flocks use the same forest tracts, and single fruiting trees are frequently used by several flocks simultaneously. In contrast to earlier records, the parakeets are rarely
observed below 900m a.s.l. during and directly after the breeding period. Thus, most parakeet flocks range above the elevation of the major part of the reserve. However, altitudinal
shifts in home ranges might occur seasonally. Radio-tracking revealed that the El Oro Parakeet does not necessarily
roost in caves, as proposed for his congeners. In fact, the
tracked flock usually rests in trees, changing roost sites
frequently. Other flocks were observed to roost in hollow
trunks on consecutive nights, but changing roost site afterwards. On various occasions, flocks have been observed to
investigate holes in trees, even though these holes were not
used as roost sites in that particular night. Thus, changes in
roosting locality seem to be common. Furthermore, flocks
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
Nesting tree of a pair of Aratinga erythrogenys opened with a
machete to remove the young for trade
roost separately, with no common roost site and thus no
communication centre has been found for the different flocks.
The species has been seen to feed on various fruiting trees but not on super abundant sugary
Melastomatacean fruits in the lower parts of the
Buenaventura reserve. These trees were readily used by
most frugivorous species of the area, like the Bronze-winged
Parrot and the Red-masked Parakeet. The seasonal avoidance of lower altitudinal forest by the El Oro Parakeet seems
thus not linked to the lack of an adequate fruit supply at this
altitude.
Educational initiative
The project already started an educational campaign with
special emphasis on excursions to the reserve with students
of local schools to raise environmental awareness. Up to
now, app. 150 students have been led through the reserve,
provided with the opportunity to observe the parakeet and
other wildlife. During these excursions explanations were
given on the threatened ecosystem, the parakeet’s life cycle, and the importance of maintaining forests for the sake of
both, wildlife and people. At present the unprotected forests are still threatened by hunting, illegal waste dumping
and logging activities. Talks at schools and in the communities are planned in cooperation with the mayor of Piñas,
which will stress the importance of forests for human life as
well as the uniqueness of the reserve in Southwestern Ecuador. The El Oro Parakeet with its name honoring the local
province seems an ideal species to build support for the
reserve due to the general popularity of parrots.
Evaluation and follow-up measures
The study so far provides thorough information, which will
be used as the basis for an action plan for the species as well
as a management plan for the reserve Buenaventura. Results on the parakeet distribution in the valley clearly show,
that the existing reserve in its current outline does not guarantee the survival of a stable population of the El Oro Parakeet. However, parakeet numbers in the Buenaventura valley are still high. Based on the findings of population size
and flock ranges, the project therefore proposed two further
forest tracts considerable for land purchase to Fundacion
Jocotoco, both bordering the reserve. An enlargement of
the current reserve to a target size of 5000ha is planned by
the Fundación Jocotoco for the near future and negotiations with the owners of the land are scheduled for the coming months. The purchase of these two sites at an elevation
of 950 and 1000-1200m a.s.l. respectively would greatly increase the potential of the reserve to protect a viable population of the species (from 30 to about 80 individuals). The
avoidance of lower elevational forest during the breeding
season might be a product of seasonal movements in altitude. Possibly, lower regions dry up due to shrinking lowland forests and therefore lesser cloud production in the
coastal region leading to less humidity in the lower parts of
the Buenaventura valley. Currently, forest patches of different altitude are being investigated for structural and climatic
differences, which could provide an explanation for the species’ potential retreat in higher forest patches.
In general, the high breeding success indicates that
breeding conditions in the valley are suitable for the species, and breeding habitat seems not limited. However, logging in the surroundings of the reserve continues, and without the inclusion of yet unprotected habitat into the reserve,
habitat loss will inevitably threaten the entire population
due to restricted feeding and breeding sites. Based on the
current data on parakeet’s habitat use the project will develop a model to predict parakeet movements in fragmented
landscapes. In general, frugivores track food resources that
are unpredictable in space and time and are therefore especially vulnerable to fragmentation due to the increasing distances between feeding sites. Hence, a potential follow-up
measure is a reforestation programme on the deserted pastures in the reserve. The identification of food sources and
tree species used for breeding by the parakeet could then
ensure, that native plant species benefitting the parakeet
will be planted. The reforestation of the reserve would also
serve other rare wildlife in the area, such as Puma, Ocelot,
Mantled Howler Monkeys, and Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth,
as well as the other eight threatened bird species of the
reserve all dependent on wet forest.
Bibliography
Best, B. L. & M. Kessler (1995): Biodiversity and conservation in Tumbesian Ecuador and Peru. Cambridge, UK, BirdLife
International.
BirdLife International (2000): Threatened birds of the world.
Lynx Edition and BirdLife International, Barcelona and Cambridge.
Dodson, C. & A. H. Gentry (1991): Biological extinction in
western Ecuador. Ann. Miss. Bot. Gard. 78: 273-285.
Ridgely, R. S. & M. B. Robbins (1988): Pyrrhura orcesi, a new
parakeet from Southwestern Ecuador, with systematic notes
on the P. melanura complex. Willson Bull. 100: 173-182.
Wege, D. & A. J. Long (1995): Key areas for threatened birds
in the neotropics. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
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No. 66 - September 2002
Cyanopsitta
Sponsors and Donors
of Loro Parque Fundación
Loro Parque is the Foundation’s
principal sponsor. Therefore, the financial support provided by our
sponsors, members and donors can
be dedicated 100% to the wide
range of parrot and biodiversity
conservation activities of
Loro Parque Fundación.
Over 30.000 Euros
Over 5.000 Euros
Up to 5.000 Euros
Hotel Botanico, EMCADISA, PANALU, GRUMBACH, Pretty Bird, HARIBO, Vogelfreunde Achern, The
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We want to thank all
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