Thirty green parrot chicks have successfully ventured into the wild. Image by Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife There is now an increased possibility that the Norfolk Island green parrot, one of the rarest birds in the world, will avoid extinction following a determined effort to save the species, according to wildlife conservationists.
Cats and rats introduced to the island have killed off huge numbers of the parrots, with just 46 of the animals left 12 months ago.
The green parrots are found nowhere else in the world and are vulnerable to invasive predators because they nest in holes in tree trunks that are low to the ground.
Norfolk Island wildlife rangers and the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife launched a recovery program that involved establishing 78 predator-proof nest sites on the island. Parrots are most vulnerable to predation during egg incubation.
At the most recent count, there are 26 chicks sitting in the nests. In the past six months, 30 chicks have successfully ventured into the wild, 13 of them female. This number effectively doubled the known female population of the Norfolk Island green parrot species.
A green parrot chick on Norfolk Island is held by a park ranger. Image by Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife According to the Norfolk Island rangers, chicks have around a 65% chance of survival once they hatch. The recovery program monitored the progress of the mothers, eggs and chicks, with supplementary food given to struggling youngsters. Some chicks are put into fostering programs with maternal parrots.
Work is also underway to control the feral cat and rat populations on Norfolk Island. Young parrots are very clumsy and extremely vulnerable when first leaving their nests.
Conservationists are now working on establishing an “insurance” population of parrots to supplement the small enclave.
The green parrot is currently at great risk of one single catastrophic event, such as a hurricane or a disease, wiping out the entire population.
“If we continue with the intensive in-situ management and work to establish a second population of parakeets in the wild, where they are relatively free from threats, then I think there is a good chance of survival and recovery for this species,” Abi Smith, Norfolk Island’s natural resource manager, told Guardian Australia.
Smith said the techniques used are similar to those deployed to safeguard the kakapo, a species of large, flightless parrot in New Zealand, which was nearly wiped out by introduced predators because its only defensive tactic is to stand completely still.
Ecologist Tim Flannery has visited Norfolk Island to film a segment for the TV series Coast Australia, which will be aired later this year.
“The Norfolk Island green parrot is an island endemic [only found in one particular area] with the potential to teach us a lot about evolution,” he said. “Far too many island species are already extinct, so to see such a fantastic program working to save this critically endangered species was wonderful.
“Without ongoing work, we will certainly lose this species. As it is, a handful of rangers have plucked the species from the very brink of extinction.”