Parrots as gifts, bad idea



He may look beautiful but this Macaw needs a lot of care
and attention. Never buy a bird, especially one like this,
on impulse.

Whether for the winter holidays or a birthday you should never give a living animal, no matter what type, as a gift. During the celebrations a parrot could be forgotten and not receive the proper care it needs. Another thing to worry about is the person receiving the animal gift might not be ready, in a state or even truly want or understand the needs of the animal, especially something as exotic as a parrot.

The decision to get a parrot needs lots of research and the person has to be in the right place in their life (such as financially, mentally and lifestyle stable) in order to consider parrot ownership. Not to mention the decision to get a parrot has to be a family decision, everyone has to be involved and cooperate in the birds care and attention. Parrots need lots of care and attention, sometimes very specialised care and attention, and you have to be willing and able to give it this care and attention for its entire life and for some species this is a major issue. The larger the bird the longer they live and the more care and attention they need! A Macaw for instance needs at least four to six hours of daily attention not to mention daily care, lots of space (as much as a Great Dane) and can live for 100 years or more! Even small species such as Lovebirds, Cockatiels, Budgies and Small Conures need at least two to three hours of daily attention plus time for daily care, a cage as big as or bigger than an end table and can live between 15 to 30 years.

Each year hundreds of birds are put into shelters or released into the wild where they will only die because the people who got them never knew or understood what they were getting into or found they were unprepared or no longer able to care for the animal. Don’t be one of these people, make sure that you can 100% be able to care for the animal you wish to acquire and when acquiring it wait till after the celebrations to get one.

Parrots don't make good gifts.
If you know someone who likes parrots
and want to get them a parrot related
gift go for something other than the living
animal.

Just like other animals parrots need a lot of supplies. The biggest and most expensive will most likely be the cage. This is your parrots own personal apartment in your home where they will have safety and privacy. Then there are the toys, food and water bowls, the food and water, liners for the bottom of the cage, perches, a carrying case, a bed, a qualified veterinarian... the list goes on. Parrots need lots of supplies just like other animals.

If you want to get someone something parrot related as a gift, think of something other than the actual animal. Maybe get them a book, poster or some sort of art, a calendar or even a teddy or toy parrot or some other parrot paraphernalia instead. They’ll probably appreciate those more than a real parrot, especially at that time. You could even give to a charity to help parrots in the person’s name or a shelter; yes parrots do end up in shelters. I did something similar once. For my birthday once I bought some cat food for the local shelter which was having trouble providing for the large amount of cats that had been brought to the shelter that year and were in bad need of supplies. I donated some food to for some cats that needed it and parrots in both the wild and domestic world need some help.

When thinking of giving a gift don’t think of a living being go for something else related to the gift you wanted to give. It’s a better idea and won’t cause a lot of headaches and pains.

Parrots and the Holidays

R2's first Christmas, he's unwrapping his present a new toy for him to rip up. He still has the toy and loves playing with it.

The Holidays no matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or any other holiday at this time can be a wonderful, joyful but stressful time of the year for both the people and their animal companions. It's a time for celebrations and being together with family and parrots want to join in too. When celebrating your holiday make sure to include the parrot in some of your celebrations.  All parrots will enjoy singing along to holiday carols no matter if their “Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” or “Hark! The Herald Angel sings”. Encourage them to sing along and dance with you. They also will love sitting with you while watching holiday specials. R2, my parrot loves both Christmas and Hanukkah songs and enjoys singing along and dancing to them, though some of the more relaxing songs make him sleepy. R2 also loves some of the Christmas specials like the Red Green Christmas along with the holiday specials from the Animaniacs, Rocko’s Modern Life and The Magic School Bus. I have yet to show him the Charlie brown Christmas special but I’m pretty sure he’ll love it. At the time of writing it’s only his second Christmas.

The holidays almost always include large family gatherings and if they occur at the house of someone who owns a parrot then precautions should be taken. In everyone’s best interest, especially the parrots, while everyone’s around it would be best that the parrot remains in the safety of his/her cage. People should be encouraged to talk to the parrot, even if it’s just to say one or two words now and then so the parrot doesn’t feel left out of the celebrations but people should seriously avoid physical contact and for good reason. These gatherings can cause lots of strong mixed emotions often with large amounts of excitement. A parrot will pick up on these emotions, especially the excitement, and all these emotions will easily over stimulate the parrots own emotions and cause them to start nipping and screaming uncontrollably, it’s not their fault it’s how parrots react when they get over excited. For this reason adults should make it clear to children both before and during the party that they can chat with Polly but never should they put their fingers by the cage unless the owner is with them and says it’s okay and if the bird is in a quite relaxed environment.

With family gatherings, and one of my most favorite features of holidays, comes plenty of food! Normal regulations when it comes to food such as no chocolate, alcohol, pork and avocados still apply but Polly can still enjoy your holiday meals with you, just make sure the ingredients in the food you let your parrot have are safe for him. R2 enjoys his little bowl of Turkey, carrots, corn and potatoes (his favorite followed by the turkey and corn) on Christmas eve and my sister loves to bake so she makes cookies following my guide lines (these are largely making sure the ingredients used are safe for parrots to eat) that R2 can have and enjoy for the Holidays, he loves his special cookies.

Gifts are another major feature of the holidays and your parrot can help you with these too. In my family all our pets get a few presents, at the least one or two, for the holidays and me and my dad both made stockings from scratch using fabric, a sewing machine and glitter glue for each of them. This could be a great time to finally replace your parrots old warn out and damaged toys with brand new ones.  You could wrap the toys and let them open their presents like everyone else but extreme caution should be taken with this. Make sure the parrot doesn’t eat the paper and make sure they don’t play with tape. It’s probably best just to tie a bow onto their toys, again don’t let them play with the ribbon. Your parrot could also join you in wrapping gifts for people, remember they just want to be apart of the family too and help in any way they can so don’t get made if Polly rips the wrapping paper or chases your hands as you try to wrap the gifts. For his first Christmas R2 helped wrap presents for my mother with me and my dad. He would chase our hands, play with what we were trying to wrap and tear at the paper when he could.

Another thing to take into thought for the holidays is the iconic symbols of the holidays; namely the Christmas tree and the Menorah and Dreidel. First thing first you might think it would make a wonderful holiday photo to have your parrot sitting in a tree but this is a bad idea, especially real trees. The decorations and lights for all festivals are dangerous and certain species of trees are toxic to parrots plus the sap from a real tree is not healthy for parrots to ingest. Plus you might find, like my Parrot R2, that your bird whose a member of a family of birds that basically live their entire lives in trees is actually scared of the tree. This isn’t something to worry about if you think of it we only bring our holiday decorations out for a few weeks once a year so your parrot most likely will find these decorations alien to it’s environment which often causes a fear or at least weariness towards them. With Menorah’s the only real danger comes from the flames on the candles. The smoke from the fire, even though there isn’t much, could cause some problems for your birds highly sensitive respiratory system so the Menorah should be placed away from the parrots cage and you might want to consider an air purifier, even if it’s just a small one to place by the parrots cage (this would actually be beneficial to everybody even outside the holidays especially in the north during the winter when it can get really stale and stuffy indoors). Menorah’s also tend to be have a polished and shiny silver or gold colour to them and parrots like many other animals are attracted to shiny objects so keep an eye out and make sure Polly doesn’t get into trouble plus you want to make sure your parrot doesn’t come into contact with the flames, even a minor burn can kill a bird especially small ones. Though the song famously states that Dreidel’s are made of clay this isn’t entirely true, they are often made of wood but no matter what material it’s made of you shouldn’t let Polly have fun with it. They can easily damage a Dreidel no matter what it's made of.

I know I’ve made quite a big list and their might be things I’ve left out but I have one more tip about the Holidays and your parrot. It deals with scented objects like candles, potpourri and air fresheners. These along with other strongly scented objects should never be anywhere near a parrot, best to keep these locked away in a room your parrot isn’t in and won’t be in for at least a day or two and far enough away that the scents won’t blow into the parrots vicinity. It’s not their fault that such strong smelling objects can and do kill them it’s the way nature designed their lungs. It’s very efficient but it has a major drawback of being very sensitive to smells and chemicals.  

With that said I have to say enjoy the holidays and don’t forget that not only people enjoy the holidays but our animal companions do too so make sure that when your celebrating to include them and take care to give them the proper safety they need so they can happily and safely enjoy the holidays with you for years to come. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or any other holiday make sure to relax and have fun with both your human and feathered and furry family members. 

The Cage



This is R2 in his cage. He has his bedtime blanket partly on his cage to help keep him warm during the winter. R2 is in the top right corner if you want to see him.

             

              When owning a parrot one needs quite a few supplies, more supplies than cats and dogs. Probably the biggest and most important need a companion parrot needs is a cage. Many people might think that keeping a bird locked up in a cage is cruel but if you did you’re shopping and research right getting the best or proper cage for your bird then this is far from the truth. It is best to see a parrot’s cage as not a cage but his own room, bachelor pad or castle. It is his own personal home where all his toys, perches, food, water and bed is held and where he will likely spend a lot of time each day for his own personal needs and alone time. Positive experiences should always happen in and at the cage and your parrot will quickly learn not to feel unsecure or fearful of the cage. My parrot R2 loves his spacious cage and loves to hang out on and in it and he especially hates if someone moves things around in the cage or even cleans his cage. He wants no one messing with his castle.

Size and materials  



This is the exact cage my
parrot has. Black stainless steal.

Wicker may look pretty
but it doesn't work.

Parrots cannot do well in a cramped poorly constructed and designed cage. Ideally a cage should be at least twice your birds’ wingspan though larger is usually better.  It doesn’t have to be huge but it has to give the parrot plenty of space to move about and play in. The cage also has to be large enough to hold not just the bird but also all his toys, dishes and his bed. Also how long is your parrot? Parrots such as Macaws or my parrot R2 who have long tails should have enough space that they can easily turn around and move about without getting his tail caught in the bars or hitting the other side of the cage when he turns around.  

A parrot’s cage should always be metal and never have rough edges, sharp pieces, poor soldering or cracked areas. Wire cages are good for small mammals and birds but not for a parrot, they can easily crush through the bars to get out. Stainless steel ideally is one of the best options and is both affordable, easy to clean and durable. Wood or wicker is the worst material for a parrot’s cage. It would take them only a day to chew through these cages and get out. That’s why you never see wood or wicker cages in pet stores. Cages that have a powder or paint on a cage is not a good idea. The powder is often dangerous to birds and does eventually come off. Paints also often only stay on for a limited time and parrots always put their mouths on the cage bars especially when climbing so can ingest the harmful paint flakes. Any cage that is made from galvanized metals means they have been treated with Zinc, a highly lethal chemical.  



Some cages like this one can be placed in

corners. This is a stainless steal cage.

Probably the best cage material is some form of stainless steel cage. They are often expensive but are well worth it since they are easy to clean and rust resistant. Stainless steel cages can come in a couple different colours (largely steel, black, white and brown) which are a paint that is spayed on then baked into the metal with high temperatures so it doesn't flake off.

The best shape for a cage is rectangular or square with either a flat or rounded roof, these are ideal for the mental well being of your bird. Circular cages are terrible choice and will drive your parrot crazy as they try to find a corner which gives them a reference point and makes them feel secure.  

Other things to consider

A very good investment for a parrots cage is to have a grate on the bottom so the parrot never has to walk on the mess that will accumulate on the bottom in the tray. This tray should be able to be slid out without opening the cage up to get them out. You should be able to pull the tray fully out without disturbing the grate.



Remember the bigger your bird is the bigger a cage it needs.

Also during your parrots life you might have to get a new cage. If your cage is old, chipped, rusty and/or you can’t scrub it clean anymore then the likely hood is you need to get a new one. Also if the bird who was originally infected with a serious disease will also mean you need a new cage. Other reasons to get a new cage would be that it can no longer safely hold your bird or maybe they need more space to accommodate their toys. Also elderly parrots might benefit from a shorter but wider cage since as they got older they no longer climb up and spend most of their time now moving horizontally throughout the cage.

            Also you might want to have a separate smaller cage used just for the parrot to sleep in at night. This would be especially useful if you or your spouse or roommate stays up late or has shift work. This cage would be placed in a quite room with just a bed or perch in it. Not many people though have sleep cages for their birds. Most find ways to accommodate their birds bed time schedule and only have space for one cage. For example my father works shift work and finds he can’t stay in the same room as R2’s cage cause when he wants to go to bed he wants to go to bed. He screams, yells what sounds like early attempts to speak “Good Night” and throws a temper tantrum till he gets my dad to leave the room. To accommodate R2’s schedule my father set up a small entertainment room in another room where he wouldn’t bother R2. This works so we have no need for a sleep cage but whether or not you want one for your bird is up to you. Besides a sleep cage really isn’t necessary most of the time.

Accessories

This is R2's summer cage cover, comes in real handy
during the hot summer nights when it is over 20C.
He even has a little holein it so he can peek out
from in the morning to say hello from. If you look in
the hole you can see him.



A good idea is to have a stand or table for the cage to sit on that ideally has a place to store the supplies for your bird.

A cover for the cage to put over the cage at night time is ideal as well. Though they can be bought in stores often it is cheaper to make your own. An old bed sheet is the cheapest and easiest to use. They can also add some flare to the room when they have a pattern or design on them.. I have about two old bed sheets that I use to cover R2’s cage. Each one has a different thickness. One is a thin Leopard print sheet that we use during the summer months when the weather is hot and humid. Then we have a thicker one that we use in the winter to help keep him warm during the colder months.

The cage will be your parrots most important equipment and you should do your research well to get the best cage for your avian family member.



The Illegal Parrot Trade



Blue-Fronted Amazons destined for the illegal wild animal pet trade.

 The illegal trading of exotic animals is a far bigger problem than most people realize. Each year Zoo’s get thousands of calls from people who want the Zoo’s to take care of their exotic pet cause they didn’t realise what they were getting into or thought it would be cool to have an ‘exotic’ pet.

“This brutal industry is estimated to be worth billions of pounds each year, third only in value to weapons and drug trafficking.”[http://www.bornfree.org.uk/give/victims-of-trade/?gclid=CPiJ0efn3rYCFVQFMgodEDwASA]

This illegal trade has had huge impacts on wildlife and parrots are one of the most common species to end  

up in this brutal trade.

Man smuggling wild caught pigeons in his tights into a country.

Each year thousands of animals from all sorts of species are illegally caught for the trade and shipped around the world for customers who are willing to pay a fortune to get an exotic pet; a healthy Green-Winged Macaw or Sulphur Crested Cockatoo can go for thousands of dollars on this black market. Laws have been put down against the trafficking of wild animals but they are either rarely or poorly enforced.



 “For every ONE wild animal captured and sold as a pet it’s estimated that up to FIFTY are killed or die in transit. And 70% of wild pets will die in the first six weeks.” [http://www.bornfree.org.uk/give/victims-of-trade/?gclid=CPiJ0efn3rYCFVQFMgodEDwASA]

 

Wild animals never get accustomed to a domestic lifestyle and will suffer from the emotional and physical stresses it now has to deal with. A wild caught bird is prone to behaviour problems, aggression and self-mutilation. Wild caught animals are also prone to spreading diseases into domestic animals and prove a major health risk to you and your other pets. 

African Grey Parrots killed by illegal trade during transport.



Not only do wild caught animals make poor pets but their capture helps threaten wild populations. 1/50 parrots who are caught make it to their final destination and thousands of birds are taken each year and smuggled into other countries. Those who capture the birds have no care towards the animals or environments they are harming. Thousands of species world-wide are on the endangered list due exclusively to this illegal trading. Macaws, Sun Conures, and Yellow-Headed Amazons are just a few of the huge amount of victims of the illegal trade. As endangered species become legally protected they go up in cost and become more prized by people who wish to make big bucks off the birds. They don’t care if the species goes extinct they just want the money.

Here is a glimpse of what trappers often do to Macaws such as the Green-Winged Macaw to get one for the black market. In order to capture young Macaws or steal their eggs poachers cut down trees to get at their nest holes often crushing and killing the young animals or parents who were in the nest at the time

The Green Winged Macaw like other Parrots suffers mass
losses due to the illegal bird trade.

 not to mention whatever was crushed by the tree. This is just one example of the thousands of ways people catch wild animals for the black market. These deaths and those removed from the wild help lower how many breeding animals still remain in the wild to help keep the species from declining to the point of extinction.

If you want a pet parrot don’t encourage the black market. Buy from a breeder. There are enough breeders out there breeding parrots for pets that truly care about the birds and want to give people a safe, healthy and loving pet at a reasonable price. Most breeder birds were originally wild caught, originating before 1992, but breeders knew they would never be happy as a pet so gave them a home with a mate to produce birds who would be happy as pets starting up the modern bird breeding hobby. Breeder birds live happily in aviary's or special cages or pens with plenty of fresh water, food, space and entertainment where they are cared for by breeders who hand rear the chicks after they hatch so they will bond and like people. Breeders also like to make sure their birds aren't going to suffer and often are there to help you should you need it. The Black Market doesn't care, they just

Wild caught Indian Ring-necked Parrots for the pet trade. 

want money. Parrots are held in tiny cages with no real attention being given to their health or safety by people who know nothing on the animals they sell and basically disappear after selling so should you need help or advice in the future they won't be there to help you like a breeder usually would.

            To tell if a parrot was wild caught or captive bred look at the band on their leg. Breeders almost always put the band on when the parrot is only a few days old so the band is slipped over the foot. These breeder bands as they are called should be a solid closed ring of metal, much like a wedding band. Wild caught birds have a band that is open meaning it has a gap in it like the cheap plastic toy rings a child would get at birthday parties. This isn't 100% accurate though cause occasionally some breeders prefer to band their birds when they are older, a breeder usually has a reason for this, so the band can't be slipped over the foot so an open band like those put on wild caught birds has to be used but this is very rare to see.

 

R2 my parrot. If you look at his one leg you can see his
orange breeder band.

I'm happy to say that my parrot R2 is a captive bred Green-Cheeked Conure. He not only has a breeder band but I picked him out when he was still being hand fed and the store I got R2 from breeds and hatches most of their own birds, they even let you pick a newly hatched chick to be your pet. Plus I have a certificate to prove he was hatched in Canada with his hatch date and proof that he is up to date on his health records. Almost never do you see illegal bird traders rearing and hatching baby birds, the birds they sell are almost all adult animals, and they can never tell you the proper age of the bird or if it has received the proper vaccinations.

  

If people don't do something to stop this illegal trade it will do nothing but continue and help to destroy the natural world around us and harm many inoccent creatures.

If you wish to know more on the illegal parrot trade, or the illegal wildlife trade in general, visit these websites to find out more and see what you possibly could do to help:

http://www.parrots.org/flyfree/

http://www.acres.org.sg/wildlifecrime/petsvictim.html

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sowb/casestudy/165

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/roundrobin/2012/08/23/wildlife-trafficking-bust-highlights-problems-in-caged-bird-trade/

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/12/27/mystery-death-of-687-wild-grey-parrots-on-1-hour-flight-to-durban-revisited/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/21/illegal-wildlife-trade

The Kaka

Kaka enjoying an apple.

As I mentioned earlier I would dedicate another blog to the other parrots in the Nestor genus the Kaka’s.

What is a Kaka?         

The Kaka boasts many primitive parrot features that were apparent in the parrots’ early history over

50 million years ago so it is a good representative to see what early members of the parrot family were like. It is closely related to the Alpine dwelling Kea and the two species look very similar. Unlike its more well-known cousin however the Kaka has darker colouring, is more arboreal and doesn’t dine on carrion or

sheep. Its diet is like that of other parrots consisting of fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, buds, nectar, sap and invertebrates.

            Kakas live in large flocks in low to mid altitude forests of New Zealand preferring to inhabit the mid to high canopy of the forests. Kaka are active primarily during the day, sleeping at night, but have been noted to be active at night during a full moon or fine weather. They are active boisterous birds who socialize around dawn and dusk every day and prove to have amusing antics. The female lays around three to four eggs in a tree cavity each



The extinct Norfolk Kaka.

breeding season and the eggs are incubated for three weeks. Both parents feed the chicks who are not able to be fully independent for over seven months. Unusual for birds the young are kicked out of the nest before they are able to fly making them vulnerable to predators.            Currently only one species of Kaka still lives and it has been deemed  Chatham Kaka who died out on the Chatham islands when man first arrived there during the last ice age; no skins or art exists of the Chatham Kaka just fossils. The living Kakas are split into two species defined by the island they inhabit in New Zealand. The North New Zealand Kaka inhabits the northern island while the South New Zealand Kaka inhabits the southern island. The only other major difference is that the southern islands Kaka is more vividly coloured than the northern islands Kaka. endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Three species used to live in New Zealand. The currant New Zealand Kaka and the now extinct Norfolk Kaka which died out in the early 1900’s and the



A Kaka pair.



Threats and conservation

            Before man’s arrival Kakas had almost no predators and little competition from rival species but man brought with him species that now hunt and compete with the Kaka making the bird suffer. Rats, possums and stoats (a kind of weasel) are the predators that mainly hunt them while wasps and bees now

compete with them for the Honeydew that forms on the islands beech trees. It is believed that this honeydew is essential for the Kaka to breed. Deer and pigs compete for their food and clearing of forests for agriculture and logging have destroyed some of the forests where they live. These birds require large tracts

of forests for their large flocks. Evidence points that a large portion of females are killed by stoats while they are incubating their eggs due to their nesting behaviour of nesting deep in hollow trees where escape from a predator isn’t possible. This has caused an imbalance in the sexes.

            Work is being done to try and eliminate the threats faced by the Kaka. The most hazardous to the declining populations of Kaka are the stoats and other predators. Experiments have been done using the natural metabolic poison 1080 or Sodium fluoroacetate. It is highly dangerous to mammals but when used safely and carefully, as New Zealand is doing, it has little to no effect on birds and has actual helped improve the native flora and fauna of the islands. Traps and carefully monitored and safely planned aerial 1080 drops are used to help control or attempt to eliminate the threats from the invasive species and it is proving successful. Since New Zealand has no native mammals it is the largest user of 1080 and has had the best success in protecting native species with it.

            Other methods of conservation being used to protect the Kaka are the use of protected wildlife areas often set up in national parks.

           

With man’s help this amazing and unique parrot will continue to live on and enrich our natural world.

Some more images: 

North island Kaka.



South island Kaka.



The Kakas' home territory.

To find out more about the Kaka visit these sites:

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=1412 

http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/birds/land-birds/kaka/

http://www.arkive.org/kaka/nestor-meridionalis/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestor

http://10000birds.com/the-cracking-kaka-nestor-meridionalis.htm





The Kea



The Kea in flight. This parrot is overall drab in colour but it

does boast some flare of colour, the viberant orange of its

underwings.

        New Zealand has boasted the oddest array of wildlife in the world. The Kiwi bird, the flightless parrot the Kakapo, the extinct giant moa and even now extinct almost flightless bats are just some of its oddities. Another of these oddities’ are the Parrots of the genus Nestor. These are the Kea, the New Zealand and Norfolk Kaka and the extinct Chatham Kaka. The Nestor parrots are closely related to the endangered Kakapo. For this blog entry I will focus on the Kea, I will devote a blog to the Kaka’s in the future.

The Kea

        At first glance it may resemble a bird of prey but without a doubt this is a parrot. The Kea is an alpine and forested living highly omnivorous parrot. They are highly intelligent, very curious and, bizarre for a wild bird, extremely bold and friendly around people. The beak isn’t as highly curved as other parrots and the reason for this can be seen in its diet. It does eat fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, leaves and shoots but this parrot is an active predator as well and dines on insects, small reptiles, other birds and mammals. They also love to dine on carrion and with the arrival of humans they have been found to eat almost anything they find.

         After Europeans came to the island bringing their livestock they Kea quickly developed a taste for sheep and farmers were soon finding sheep with mysterious injuries on their sides leading to farmers trying to hunt the birds to save their flocks. The reason the Kea hunts sheep is they crave the large fat deposit above a sheep’s kidneys like we would crave a chocolate bar. Recent videos have shown that these birds actively hunt the sheep for this fat, eating it rate out of the sheep as they are still moving. Thankfully, but horror for the sheep’s, hunting of these birds has been band and recent eyewitness accounts state that the Kea has now taken to attacking and attempting to eat dogs, rabbits, mice and even horses!

The Kea and people:



The Kea has little fear of people and find
our belongings as sources of fun.



Despite how adaptable the Kea is, easily accepting new food sources, they are currently listed by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) they are listed as vulnerable and work is on the way to preserve and help this species thrive for future generations. The Kea, though a destructive nuisance to the islands inhabitants, is seen as ‘the clown of the mountains’ and is an attractant for tourists.

These highly curious and intelligent birds have been noted to investigate everything from knapsacks to parked cars causing damage to the item of interest and even flying off with small items from people.

Kea like its Kakapo and Kaka relatives are not kept as pets and are rare to be see in captivity.

Lifestyle:



The Keas home range.

            Mortality rate of young Kea is high, only about 40% survive their first year, and the birds live with an average life expectancy of 50 years. Unlike their solitary living Kakapo relatives the Kea is a social bird living in flocks  of up to 13 parrots. Both male and female rear the 3-4 chicks that depend on their parents for around six months.

            The Kea currently is the only known Alpine living parrot. It lives mainly in forests by the New Zealand Mountains and along the western coast of the southern island as well as the Alpine meadows and river valleys that cover parts of the mountains. They do not live on the northern New Zealand island but fossil evidence suggests they might have lived there over 10 000 years ago. Currently the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists the Kea as Vulnerable and it is believed that around 5 000 to 15 000 individuals exist. Shooting, introduced predators and accidental lead poisoning due to curious investigations of non-safe objects are the main threats to the Keas survival.


Kea eating a dead rabbit.

The Kea may seem like a killer monster parrot but these are truly amazing and wonderful birds.

For more information on the Kea visit these websites:

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/parrot-steals-1100-from-unsuspecting-tourist-20130204-2dtc2.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Kea

www.birdchannel.com/bird-magazines/bird.../kea-parrots.aspx

www.keaconservation.co.nz/keaendangeredspecies.html

www.doc.govt.nz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea

http://www.parrots.org/index.php/encyclopedia/profile/kea/

Kakapo

No I didn’t make it up. The Kakapo is a real thing and it is a member of the parrot family. When New Zealand was formed around 10 million years ago the only creatures to be found were those that had already been found on the islands that now make up New Zealand, such as the Tuatara lizard, or they flew to the island. Parrots were some of the migrants who made it to the island and nowhere else in the world are there parrots like those found in New Zealand.

What is it?! 

            One of these strange creatures is the Kakapo. The Kakapo is thought to be the oldest surviving parrot species and is the heaviest parrot alive today weighing a hefty 6-7 pounds. They are flightless but are very good climbers. They are also the only parrots to be exclusively herbivorous; they eat plant matter and only plant matter. They don’t chow down on insects, eggs or small vertebrates like all other parrots. The Kakapo is also unique among land birds in that it can store energy in its body fat and unlike all other parrots



This is one big bird!

who are largely diurnal (awake during the day or lighter hours) the Kakapo is nocturnal like a cat.

            Currently only about 127 are believed to still be alive (it might sound bad but they numbered only 50 in 1995) and breeding programs are in place to help the Kakapo to recover. Man is to blame for its endangerment but destruction of habitat isn’t what threatens them since they aren’t losing any of their habitat, New Zealand is one of the few countries to not over develop the land for mans purposes. It was predatory animals that man brought with him that got them. Despite what people think cats aren’t the ones to blame, Stoats and other relatives of the weasel family such as ferrets are the ones to blame.  

Life style           

            Kakapos are the only parrots that use the Lek breeding strategy. This strategy is seen in other kinds of birds such as game birds (the group that includes peacocks, pheasants, quail and chickens) but not in Parrots. In the Lek system a male digs a small bowl in the earth where he sits to call out to a female. He then displays from this bowl to females. Kakapos only breed every 3-4 years averaging only one to four eggs which have an incubation period of 30 days. The young are raised solely by the female. The chicks are able to leave the nest after ten weeks but the mother will still care for them for about

Kakapo chicks.

six months. 

             Unlike other birds that live life in the fast lane, Kakapo’s live slowly. They don’t move or act in the hyperactive ways like other birds instead they live more like a mammal. Males start breeding at age four and females at age six. They can live for more than 90 years but so far they have only been recorded living for 15 to 30 years; the recorded animals didn’t die from old age.

            When faced with danger the Kakapo oddly ‘freezes’ trying to blend in with its surroundings. Before man brought other animals to the island the only predators that lived on the island were birds such as the extinct Haast’s Eagle; a giant bird of prey boasting a 3 meter wingspan that once terrorized the native fauna of the island such as the now extinct Moa birds. It is believed that the presence of this bird led to the birds’ odd behaviour response.

Status

             The Kakapo is currently listed as criticaly endangered the New Zealand government has set up a program to try and keep the species alive. Breeding programs have been set up and some of the remaining animals have been placed on offshore predator free islands. So far there strategy has worked to some extent and has kept the species from perishing. 

Visit these websites to learn more on the Kakapo and see what can be done and what is being done to save them:

www.kakaporecovery.org.nz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakapo

http://www.kakapo.net/en/  

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=1492 

http://www.kcc.org.nz/kakapo