Mission to save birds takes woman to Qatar

Karen Cheek Justice travels halfway around the world to help the rare Spix's Macaw.

PINEVILLE Several months ago, south Charlotte's Karen Cheek Justice went nose to beak with some of the rarest parrots in the world.

The Spix's Macaw is extinct in the wild. The last time the beautiful blue bird was spotted was in Brazil in 2000. It is now presumed dead.

There are only 120 Spix's Macaws left in captivity, 50 of them in Qatar.

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Rosella research could re-write ‘ring theory’

Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) Australia. Photo: Rudolfhelmis

New research has uncovered how different crimson rosella populations are related to each other – a discovery which has important implications for research into how climate change may affect Australia’s biodiversity.

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DOC reviews 1080 use after endangered kea die

Kea Photo Anita363Seven kea have died at Fox Glacier after eating 1080 poison, wiping out almost half a group of the endangered and protected parrot being monitored by the Conservation Department.

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Virus Behind Mysterious Parrot Disease Identified

Yellow naped amazone (Amazona auropalliata)Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have identified a virus behind the mysterious infectious disease that has been killing parrots and exotic birds for more than 30 years.

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Poisoned parrots may create shift in New Zealand possum-control policies

One of a gang of juvenile kea romping about on the mountain side around the Broken River Skifield. Photo: Jon SullivanOne of the world's most intelligent birds is also one of its most endangered. New Zealand's kea parrot used to be a common sight in the island nation. But the kea is a voracious hunter, and has actually been known to prey upon sheep, which resulted in more than 100 years of government-sponsored bounties that nearly wiped out the species. Now, only 1,000 to 5,000 birds remain, mostly in remote mountain regions, where their food sources are being destroyed out by human development.

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