PARROT AND MACAW TALK

By Liz Shaw, RN April September 2005

SUMMARY:

1)

Characteristics Family Psittacidae Around 340 sp worldwide, mainly in tropics 136 sp in Neotropics, 49 in Peru Distinctive features - short necks, compact / stocky bodies; - short, hooked beak and muscular tongue; - short legs with four opposable toes; - mostly green, some brightly coloured (yet can be hard to see!); - noisy, social, intelligent; - most east fruits and seeds. Grouped mainly by size: - Parrotlets smallest (sparrow-sized) : 10cm / 4 inches - Parakeets larger, at 20-30cm (8-12 inches); tapered tails (long or short) - quite abundant; large, noisy flocks, usually first to arrive at Collpas - Parrots - next largest (30-45cm / 12-19 inches). [short tails?] - Macaws - largest, 60-100cm (24-40 inches), up to 2lb weight - 7 sp here. Exclusively neotropical - distinctive long tails and slow, steady wing beats - [Largest = Hyacinth Macaw of Brasil; here = Red and Green. Spixs (Brasil) on verge of extinction, only few indiv.s left] - Some have bright plumage. Distinguished by bare patch of skin on face; pattern of small feathers here is unique to individual, like a fingerprint.

1) Characteristics 2) Diet / feeding 3) Geophagy 4) Reproduction 5) Importance 6) Conservation 7) Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All parrots are social, usually travel in flocks (macaws family groups) Many sp roost in groups at night, often large numbers (1000s), often several sp together. Leave roost in morning, may travel up to 45m (75km) each day searching for fruiting trees; return to roost at night Intelligent, very curious, will investigate anything

2) Diet / feeding Mainly seeds and fruits (often fruit to get the seeds) Also buds, glowers, nectar Seed-predators usually crush, chew, destroy seeds Adaptations for feeding: a) Feet - opposable toes, 2 forward and 2 back - very strong, very dextrous, like hands used to manipulate food and bring it to beak, also to climb round branches and hang to reach food b) Beak - very powerful - short, thick, hooked - upper mandible hinged, very mobile - for handling food (slicing fruit, crushing and grinding seeds and nuts), and like a 3rd foot for climbing - Upper half sharp, pointed ice pick Lower half sharp-edged chisel Inner surface ridged file Whole thing vice - thick, muscular and very sensitive to scoop out fruit, manipulate food, drink nectar from flowers

c) Tongue

3) Geophagy

Also show geophagy eat clay soil at exposed cliffs - collpas (clay licks) Collpas only discovered in last 20 years Usually visit early am, if weather fine Must be necessary to their diet (feed to young at nest, feed frequently, risk predation) 3 main theories (aids digestion antacid; minerals and salts; protects against toxins evidence from highland people eating clay, and use clay licks more in dry season when forced to eat more unfavourable fruits) Is also a chance for social interaction, bonding with mate, information sharing

4) Reproduction Long-lived macaws 60-80 years in captivity, 30-40 in wild

Monogamous, often pair for life. Very affectionate Macaws in particular pairs and young travel together Usually nest in dry or early wet season, usually in cavities in dead trees. Macaws can be choose, like undisturbed forest, B&Y usually only in Aguaje palms. Will aggressively defend nest against predators and other macaws. 2-8 eggs, female incubates while male brings her regurgitated food Smaller parrots 3-4 weeks to fledge; macaws 3-4 months Long childhood / learning period, stay with parents a long time (?)

Macaws sexually mature at 5 years; only 10-20% of pairs breed each year; each may produce 5-6 young in 30year lifespan; limited by availability of suitable nest sites.

5) Importance
Not big seed-dispersers (destroy most seeds), but messy feeders drop much uneaten fruit dispersed by ground-feeders A flagship species bright, popular, charismatic, people want to save them, can help conserve the forest and other wildlife too

6) Conservation Status: - 42 sp (around 30%) of neotropical parrot sp at risk of extinction;

many more in decline - 8 threatened sp in Peru, and ranges of many more reduced severely in last 100 years - many smaller parakeets do well, frequently seen but macaws under threat; breed slowly and prefer undisturbed forest cant withstand human encroachment and exploitation - as people move further into forests, parrots and macaws could disappear in next 20-30 years from all but the biggest parks like Manu

Threats: - habitat loss (farmers, developers) lose nest sites, feeding places.. - hunted / killed for food, feathers, or to protect crops - PET TRADE especially larger macaws [ASK if anyone has pet] * parrots as pets recorded as far back as 400BC (Greece) * but, can make bad pets * export became illegal in Peru in 1973, now illegal in many countries but smuggling a big problem (USA, probably 25% of illegal wild bird trade) * hidden in boxes and crates, many die * problems - to get young for pets cut tree (many die in fall, lose nest site, parents often wont breed again that year) - very wasteful (20-50 die for every 1 to marketplace) - not necessarily a happy life - macaws hardest hit low reproduction rates and limited by lack of nest sites population takes a long time to recover Ways to protect: a) Captive breeding - Not necessarily a solution to save the wild population expensive, & release often unsucessful - But, a solution to discourage the pet trade breed better in captivity and make friendlier, healthier pets

b) Artificial nest sites - eg, at TRC (to encourage breeding, increase number of pairs able to breed

c) Enforcement of export bans hard?

d) Habitat conservation and education (including tourism) - Much research being done into their ecology, behaviour, breeding to help find best ways to protect them - To encourage local people to protect them, they must be worth more alive than killed or as pets, or worth more than felling the forest for farming etc - Need to protect their habitat...

Bright, charismatic, popular ideal flagship species tourists [like yourselves!] willing to pay money to see them in the wild Also helps educate people and increase awareness Has been calculated that each macaw at clay lick potentially generates $750 - $4700 from tourism each year = potentially $22,500 $165,000 in its lifetime! However, must regulate tourism so it doesnt negatively impact them

These approaches not mutually exclusive all approaches go hand-in-hand

7) Conclusion
In conclusion due to habitat loss and their attractiveness as pets, we are in danger of losing many parrot species, and in particular the large macaws, in the coming decades. However, much work is being done to save these beautiful birds, and by coming here to see them you are helping to contribute in a way that in future may be an increasingly important weapon in the fight to save them from extinction at human hands.