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    

Not so Lovable Lovebirds

Everyone has heard of love birds but the common view that you have to have two in a cage is incorrect. In truth if you want a pet parrot to bond with you it has to be kept on its own in a cage or else it will ‘pair bond’ with the other parrot and won’t show any affection to you and they won’t remain tame. So to keep your Lovebird a tame and lovable pet you need to give it daily attention and keep it on its own.



Peach-faced Lovebird.



            Lovebirds like Lineolated Parakeet are ideal birds for the first time bird owner. They don’t need much space or time and Lovebirds tend to only live for about 10 years, a few have lived for almost 20 but these were extremely rare. Lovebirds are fearless, energetic, playful, and strong willed. Odd for Parrots Lovebirds don’t use their feet for playing, holding objects, or eating.

            Lovebirds are the smallest of Africa’s parrots and can be found in forests, scrub land and Savannah's. Their name comes from the fact that they are often seen cuddling in the wild but it is very miss leading since unless handled daily by all family members they will become aggressive and rarely do they get along with any other pets. Lovebirds are chatty little birds but despite being vocal they don’t often learn to speak. Occasionally they do learn to speak about 5-10 words but that is usually it.

Fischer's Lovebird.

 There are a couple species of Lovebirds and a few come in several colour mutations.



Masked Lovebird.

Peach-faced: also known as the Rosy-faced/headed Lovebird is the most commonly found species in captivity. They live for about 15 years and for such a small bird are full of personality. They usually weigh about 46-63 g and measure about 15 cm long.

Fischer’s: Fischer’s are curious, independent, active and quite Lovebirds. Fischer’s have an average life expectancy of 15-20 years and is the same size as the Peach-faced.

Masked: the Masked Lovebird is energetic, affectionate and playful but like all Lovebirds can be quite aggressive. Despite being smaller

than the earlier two, they are only 14.5 cm long and 43-50g in weight, the Masked Lovebird might be the longest living of the commonly kept Lovebirds with a life expectancy of 18-20 years.

Nyasa: the Nyasa, also called Lillian’s Lovebird, is the smallest Lovebird



Nyasa Lovebird.

 commonly kept as a pet. They are only 13.5cm with a weight of 28-37g. Nyasa’s

are relatively quiet and shy birds who would benefit from a gentle



Grey-headed Lovebird. Male has grey
head while female has green head.

 handler than the other Lovebirds.

Several other kinds of Lovebird exist but aren’t commonly found as pets. These include the:

Red faced who is also a quiet and shy bird who easily gets startled.

Black-cheeked Lovebirds are seldom seen in captivity.

Black-collared Lovebirds are little known in the wild and none can be found in captivity.

Black-winged Lovebirds are shy and reserved birds and are very rare to see in captivity.

Grey-headed Lovebirds are the only Lovebirds not found on the African main continent originating from Madagascar. They are also one of the few parrots to exhibit sexual dimorphism (a difference between the sexes). They are shy but active birds but are rare to find.

Red-faced Lovebird.



Black-winged Lovebirds.



Black-collared Lovebird.







Australia the land of parrots



Female Eclectus from video.



I was recently going through things that were on my DVR when I found a show I had taped off a special HD channel called Oasis, it’s called Australia land of parrots. Made by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) the film is about an hour long and shows in detail the diverse and spectacular lives of parrots in the harshest and most unpredictable environments of Australia. It features dozens of species from Cockatoo’s and Eclectus parrots to Budgies and Rosellas. For those who love parrots 9or birds in general), want to know more about the lives of these birds in their natural habitats, love Australia or are looking to see beautifully coloured birds in the wilderness of Australia then you’ll love it.

It first tells of the bizarre and most extraordinary bird on the planet the Eclectus in its rain forest home and tells of how much we have learned about these previously enigmatic birds in just the past decade

Rainbow Lorikeet from film.



  or so. It also shows what Budgies (they call them bud-ger-y-gars) really live when they aren’t kept in a cage. You think us in North America have a problem with crows and seagulls there’re nothing compared to the Cockatoos who have made themselves at home in Australia’s cities. These Cockies as they are termed in the movie pull roof tiles off roofs, chew through electric insulators on hydro poles and flocks of up to 30 000 have been known to attack a farmers crops and fields. One farmer tried to put canvas over their grain stores but the Cockies ripped through the canvas in only a few seconds and helped themselves. Through decade long droughts, wicked Hurricanes and the most severe of forest fires these birds thrive.

Palm Cockatoo's also from video.

The video might not be suitable for all audience since it does have a segment where they show Budgies mating but other than that it is good for all audiences though I must warn you some of the parrots get eaten by other animals.

Currently it is only available in region 4 on DVD (Canada and the USA are Region 1) but it luckily is now available on Blue Ray which isn’t broken up into different regions.   

Some teaser pictures.

This is the only website I could find that shows the whole video:

www.animalstubes.com/view/164823/australia-land-of-parrots.html

Little Linnies



The Linnie.

 I am not the only one in my family to own a parrot. My aunt also owns one but she has a Lineolated Parakeet (also called the Barred Parakeet). These are popular yet a little hard to find group of Parrots. They come in a wide variety of colours from the original green to a canary yellow, cobalt blue, slate and even violet and (this is rare but I have seen one) rosy pink.


Some of the Linnies colour mutations.



Linnies are South American parrots who are just a little bigger than a finch, about 15.2 cm in length and only

50g. They live for a bout fifteen years and don’t require as much space or time as larger birds do. They are one of the best first time parrots for a new parrot owner. They aren’t as messy or loud as other parrots and they have sweet sounding and gentle chirps unlike the ear piercing cries of other parrots like Conures; I know this cause I have heard it from my Aunts bird and compared to my Conure its nice, soft and gentle on your ears. They are incredibly easygoing, even in the wild, and come with a peaceful, calm, energetic, affectionate nature and love human interaction. Their small beaks don’t emit a very strong bite so they are less likely to leave cuts and marks on your hand and won’t be able to chew up everything in sight so they are not very destructive. They do have a habit of hanging upside down like a bat in their cages and grabbing things just outside their cages with their feet. They are pretty good talkers with childlike voices and can talk as early as 12 weeks of age, most parrots start talking between 4 and 6 months to even years.

            The cages they require are small enough you could place them on almost any table and they enjoy sleeping in hanging beds. They do love to be bathed and many report that these birds can eat. It is believed that for their size they eat more than any other parrot of a similar size. They love to play so toys are a must and though they are not strong chewers they do leave nibbles on your books and magazines so careful when they are out. Because of their small size they should never be given plenty of free reign. Tables, their play

My aunt has a green one like the one on the right.

stand, you and counters are where they should be allowed to roam. Such a small bird could easily be missed and sat or stepped on by someone who doesn’t know where the bird is. They tend to drink lots of water so don’t worry if your Linnie seems to be drinking quite a bit for their small size.

            They tend to not be very common but are well worth the search for them and are an ideal first parrot.

            Overall these are a good bird for someone looking for a parrot that is small, doesn’t need as much care and won’t live as long as the bigger guys.