Parrot Care: Parrots and People

Parrots are among the most familiar of bird species to the general public, and are generally held in esteem and affection even by people uninterested in natural history or conservation. Ironically, it is our overwhelmingly positive responses to these birds that have been the root cause of the conservation woes of many species. Because of their attractive colours and abilities to imitate human speech, parrots have been kept in captivity by many different cultures worldwide, ranging from the ancient Greeks and Romans to native tribes of the Caribbean. Captive rearing of parrots to obtain feathers for ceremonial purposes was a widespread activity many centuries ago among the native peoples of Mexico.

Parrots have also been valued historically as objects of trade between cultures, leading to their distribution far beyond the boundaries of their natural ranges and the establishment of numerous feral exotic populations. Today, 95 of the approximately 330 extant species of parrots worldwide are considered at some risk of extinction (Collar et al. 1994). This proportion is higher than for almost all other major groups of birds.

Despite their familiarity as cage birds, most parrot species have not been the subject of detailed ecological and conservation studies. In part, this situation of relative neglect has resulted from an association of many species with remote habitats far from centres of learning. In part it is due to the difficulties in conducting studies on species that have large home ranges, are often difficult to capture for individual marking purposes, and are often canopy dwellers in tropical forests, nesting in elevated tree cavities that are challenging to reach.

Despite the difficulties involved in their study, parrots often present major conservation opportunities. As conspicuous and attractive birds, they can often serve as flagship species for the preservation of threatened ecosystems, and because their range needs are often large, they often can provide important justifications for the saving of quantitatively significant amounts of habitat.

Their spectacular congregations at clay licks, waterholes, and mass roosts often present important potentials for ecotourism benefits for local communities, and for the development of conservation education efforts. The plight of parrots is due to many factors. Two threats stand out as especially important; habitat destruction and fragmentation, and trapping for the bird trade. Of the 95 species considered in this Plan, habitat destruction and fragmentation endanger 78 species while trade endangers 36 species. Diminished international trade has been dwarfed by significant growth in internal trade. For many species, the threats of habitat loss and trade act concurrently, so that it is difficult to determine which threat might be the most severe. For example, 29 species are currently threatened by a combination of habitat destruction and intense trade, and eight species are threatened by combined habitat destruction and introduced predators or competitors.

However, these factors are clearly not the only causes of declining parrot populations. In other cases, large-scale reductions in parrot populations have occurred in spite of the persistence of natural habitats and an absence of trade. Introduced predators or competitors have apparently threatened 16 species, while others have suffered significantly from hunting for food or feathers, or to protect crops (nine species). Though not well documented, it is also reasonably likely that introduced diseases have been a major factor in the woes of some species, for example the extinct Carolina parakeet (see Snyder et al. 1987). It is thought that introduced diseases possibly endanger two species, and three are possibly hybridising with related taxa.

The principle threats vary geographically, temporally, and with the specific characteristics of the species involved; introduced predators and competitors have been a major threat primarily for parrot populations on oceanic islands; hunting for food is a principle threat for relatively large species; and trade has been extremely damaging for many highly charismatic or colourful species, especially for those that are extraordinarily talented in imitating human speech. While legal international trade has been declining in magnitude for the past decade (due to CITES regulations, passage of various national regulations, and increased law enforcement activities), internal trade still remains a major problem in many countries. Illegal internal and international trade imposes grave threats on certain parrot species.

Some parrot species represent major conservation dilemmas, as their feeding habits make them competitors for agricultural crops. Finding acceptable solutions to crop damage problems without extermination of the parrots involved is one of the most difficult aspects of conservation of a significant number of species. Most of the specific threats faced by parrots can be traced to various human activities. Consequently, lasting conservation of many species will entail changing various human practices that directly and indirectly affect the species in question. For this reason, education efforts and generation of public awareness and support are of major importance in the conservation of most species.

Reproduced with permission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources and the World Parrot Trust.