No flight of fancy, this rare bird needs to be caught to survive

Population dwindling: scientists have undertaken breeding programs to try to save the orange-bellied parrot. Photo: Justin McManus ONE of the world's rarest birds is now almost reduced to a rumour. There are only 36 orange-bellied parrots known to be alive in the wild. The situation has become so critical that if numbers drop further, the survivors will be rounded up and put into captivity by members of a national recovery team trying to save the species from extinction.

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Smelter clouds kakapo future

Could Kakapo funding dry up?The cash-strapped New Zealand Aluminium Smelters wants to pull its $200,000 a year sponsorship money out of the Kakapo Recovery Programme, putting the future of the endangered parrot in doubt.

Tiwai Point smelter boss Ryan Cavanagh said it had stated its intention to exit the kakapo recovery partnership last week and was working closely with the Conservation Department and Forest & Bird to ensure the programme was left in a sustainable position.

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A talkative bird gone without a word

Mark Catesby's illustration of the parakeet. It's from Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, which was published in several editions in the mid 1700s. Courtesy of Wilson LibraryThe Carolina parakeet, a small, gregarious parrot with a vibrant green, yellow and blood-orange plumage, once flitted and chattered widely through the state’s forests and lowland swamps.

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Five parakeets rescued

The parakeets seized by Nature enthusiasts and Forest Department personnel from a vendor at Ukkadam in the city on Monday. Photo: S. Siva Saravanan Two nature enthusiasts and Forest Department personnel on Monday rescued five parakeets from a vendor at Ukkadam area.

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Old Noarlunga residents who support corella cull threatened

Wayne Henkel (front) with fellow Old Noarlunga residents Cathie Lincoln-Bouts, Bobette Henkel, Jim Lincoln, Jean Christine and Bob Law with some of the signs. Picture: Stephen Laffer Source: AdelaideNow SIGNS threatening Old Noarlunga residents who support culling corellas have been posted around the suburb.

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