Feasibility of tracking parrots with GPS telemetry confirmed

A Kea (Nestor notabilis) wearing a GPS logger on a backpack harness. Image by B. McKelveyYes, it is possible to study parrots with GPS trackers -- you just have to make them beak-proof. For a new paper in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, Erin Kennedy, George Perry, and Todd Dennis of the University of Auckland and Joshua Kemp and Corey Mosen of New Zealand's Department of Conservation tested the feasibility of tracking parrots with GPS dataloggers in Arthur's Pass National Park in New Zealand. Their parrot of choice was the Kea (Nestor notabilis), a large, intelligent, mountain-dwelling bird perhaps best known for its fearless interactions with tourists and their cars.

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Forest Dept. and volunteers rescue 28 parakeets in Coimbatore, Erode

Saved from captivity:Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) being kept either as pets or to be sold, were rescued in Coimbatore, on Thursday.- Photo: M.Periasamy The birds are protected under Schedule IV of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

The Forest Department and Animal Rescuers, a voluntary animal welfare organisation, have rescued 28 parakeets and a Black Headed Munia from Coimbatore and Erode in the past few days.

According to a press release that was issued here, the birds were rescued from as many as 19 different locations where they were in illegal captivity.

They were being kept either as pets, or to be sold to customers in various places.

The feathered creatures rescued included four (three female and one male) Alexandrine Parakeets, and 24 (nine male and 15 female) Rose Ringed Parakeets.

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Orange-bellied parrot chicks start showing true colours

The orange-bellied parrot chicks born at Taroona will be raised in captivity for most of this year.SEVENTEEN orange-bellied parrot chicks born at Taroona earlier this year have fledged.

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Virile kaka brothers father triplets

Kaka Brothers Bling and Casey. Image by Catherine BrimecombePerhaps there's something in the water. Or the trees.

Virile kaka brothers Bling and Casey, who live in separate parts of Southland, are set to have their wings full for the next two months, having both fathered triplets this season.

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Cockatoo activist David Patterson remembered

It is with great sadness that we farewell cockatoo rehabilitation pioneer David Patterson, who passed away on Friday January 16th 2015.

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