Parrots do tricks without looking

Senegal parrot. Image by SynwellOrnithologists at the University of Birmingham have discovered that parrots cannot see what they are doing when they carry out the tricky manipulations of objects, for which they are renowned. While parrots have a good field of vision in front, above and behind their head, they cannot see below their bill into the region where all the manipulation occurs. The research is published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Click to read more ...

Feathers fly over firies' costly corella rescue

People watch on as rescuers work to free the trapped Corella.A wounded bird on a wire caused a flap when four fire trucks and 15 firefighters were sent to save it from the fifth floor of the Chadstone Shopping Centre in a daring high-rise rescue.

Click to read more ...

Bright future for glossies

Glossy Black Cockatoos in South Australia are endangered due to habitat loss and nest predationCommunity support is once again being sought by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to ensure future survival of Kangaroo Island’s Glossy Black Cockatoo.

The 2011 nesting season is now in full swing with over 30 active nests recorded to date. Volunteers will be required for Drooping Sheoak tree plantings in June/July and the annual census in October.

According to DENR Glossy Black Cockatoo project officer, Mike Barth, Kangaroo Island is the only place in SA that the Glossy Black Cockatoo now lives.

Click to read more ...

Invasive parakeets in Borehamwood could be culled

Simon Richardson A PROBLEM species of parakeets released from a home in Borehamwood in the 1990s could be culled by the government if they cannot be recaptured.

A group of 12 monk parakeets, originally from South America, escaped from an aviary in the back garden of Keith Russell's house in Furzehill Road.

Mr Russell, 67, said the small green, yellow and grey birds were set free after his home was broken into around 15 years ago.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimates the population has multiplied by around ten times, creating a potential threat to wildlife and the environment.

Graham Madge, of the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), explained some of the issues: “Monk parakeets can cause significant problems to agriculture by eating crops.

Click to read more ...

Defra to remove problem monk parakeets from wild

The Last of the London Monk parakeets?A species of parakeet that threatens wildlife and crops is to be removed from the wild, the government has said.

Click to read more ...