UAKDBKTUBYFALL,OR How Body Size

Newsabout parrot conselVation, aviculture and welfare from C(ljJ;;rWfJJld~rrotC(fffust TUB BIGGBR TUBY ARE TUB UAKDBKTUBYFALL, OR how body size affects the conservation status of new world parrots By Charles A. Munn, PhD., (SeniorConservation Zoologist,WildlifeConservation Society). conservationists, they need to face Editor's Note: up to the fact that every last one of This article is based on a the species of large parrots, endangered or not, that they desire paper presented by Dr. (and acquire) for their collections Munn at the IASConvention, still have sufficient wild habitat to Orlando,FLin January 1995. permit them to survive in substantial or even huge numbers in the wild. Furthermore, all of the I.Summary large species of threatened New Forty of the New World's 150 World parrots are in danger now species of parrots are seriously principally because of the demand endangered or declining. All of for pets and breeding stock that is these species are threatened fueled substantially by aviculturists themselves and by pet owners who principally by 1) systematic, are the aviculturists of the future. nonsustainable harvest by trappers or hunters, or 2) conversion of In this paper I describe briefly their habitat for agriculture and some projects that successfully grazing. Here 1describe how large have neutralized the two principal threats to the survival of viable parrots are much more likely to suffer from trapping and hunting populations of wild New World than are small parrots. Conversely, parrots. I also discuss how small parrots are The take-home message from much more likely to suffer from these projects should be that habitat destruction than are large conserving parrots in the wild not ones. Finally, I point out that only is theoretically possible, but aviculturists often have claimed has been shown to be the most mistakenly that they are rescuing practical and cost-effective method large parrots from rainforest that is for guaranteeing viable future populations of these beautiful about to be cut. In fact, the only birds. parrots that could in some situations benefit from being Bearing in mind the previous rescued from forest patches about points, I would like to suggest six to be destroyed are the small, often golden rules: 1) continue to take relatively dull-calored species that good care of and breed your birds; are in such low demand by 2) never buy anything other than aviculturists and pet owners as to sustainably-produced, aviary-bred be economically worthless to birds; 3) read about the real conservation situation of different trappers and dealers. For aviculturists to realize their parrot species in the wild; 4) became a member of the World full potential as responsible Parrot Trust (WPT),International Aviculturists Society (!AS),and other groups working successfully " psittacine to conserve wild parrots; 5) participate in trips to key field (sir asin) Belonging projects; and 6) inform your local or allied to the bird club and avian veterinarian parrots; parrot-like about the work of WPT and IAS, " The sheer beauty of the Hyacinth Macaw is its downfall. Photo: Bonnie jay. 1 completely intact natural habitat of rainforest, dry forest, and savannah-forest mosaic in lowland Bolivia. Bird export was outlawed in Boliviain 1985.Whenin 1992I questioned several former trappers in Bolivia's remote, nearly completely forested Amazonian state of Pando, they each readily stated (without cuing) that the reason for the rarity of large macaws was that they had systematically over trapped and nearly extirpated the birds. In 1992 the former president of the now-defunct Association of Bird Exporters of Bolivia told me that he and his fellow bird exporters (the middlemen who placed standing orders country- wide for unlimited numbers of Hyacinth Macaw in the wild. Numbers reduced from around 100,000 forty years ago to perhaps 3,000 to 5,000 today. large macaws) exported approximately 500 large macaws and work with them to develop parrots. This rush to snatch up every two weeks for ten years-a fundraising campaigns to support large parrots is a classic tragedy of total of roughly 130,000 birds. specific field projects. the commons that, if unchecked, Who knows how many birds died results inevitably in local, national, and how many nest cavities were 11.How body size correlates with and eventually global, extinction of destroyed before the bird exporters type of threat. How and why these spectacular birds. The urban even got ahold of these birds? He large, colorM, talkative species middlemen in the tropical also admitted that the exploitation disappear first from intact habitat countries and the bird importers in had been indiscriminate, predatory, (often decades before the habitat the consuming countries are willing and non-sustainable, and that is in any danger). accomplices in the mining to capture rates had been dropping by Of the 40 threatened species of extinction of large parrots in the the time the government finally outlawed the trade in 1984.Will the New World parrots, 12 are Latin American countries. Amazons and six are macaws. All Looking at this unsustainable combined efforts of the most industrious aviculturists of the 18 of these species are large, harvest at the local level, trappers colorful, and prized as pets. These hack open nest cavities or fell nest world ever produce enough attractive parrots are endangered trees to collect nestlings. As trees captive-bred large macaws to equal by trapping for pets, secondarily by with large, secure cavities naturally the 130,000 birds exported during hunting for meat and feathers, and are rare even in virgin forest and those ten years from Bolivia alone, not to mention the similar or thirdly (and to a much lesser appear to limit severely the number of breeding pairs, this nest greater number that died in extent) by habitat destruction. transit? Sixteen of the remaining 22 smaller destruction is devastating to the reproductive output of wild In 1987, two observations of the endangered species suffer mechanics of local trade in principally from advanced habitat macaws and Amazons. Over the destruction in two heavily- past decade in northern Argentina, Hyacinth Macaws were particularly illuminating. In that year the deforested, particularly biologically for instance, trappers felled more Brazilian government requested diverse regions of high endemism than 100,000nest trees of Blue- that I collaborate with leading in southeastern and coastal Brazil, fronted Amazons. In that part of Argentina, therefore, a similar Brazilian field biologist Carlos and the tropical Andes of Yamashita to conduct a two-month- Colombia, Ecuador, and, to a lesser number of pairs of adult birds have long field survey of populations of extent, Peru. Six other small, been deprived of nest cavities, a Hyacinth Macaws in Brazil, Bolivia, endangered parrot species suffer resource that regenerates and Paraguay. At one location in primarily from trapping. Two of extremely slowly (on the order of Paraguay near the Brazil/Paraguay these species are from coastal centuries). As Amazons live for border, we spoke with a poor, Brazil, while two others are from several decades, one possible result industrious bird trapper who told Mexico, and the two remaining of this massive destruction of nests ones from the Eastern Amazon of is that the species may still appear us that he only crossed into Brazil Brazil and from Cuba. common when in fact it is just a to trap Hyacinths after receiving specific buy orders and down Large, colorful, talkative parrots matter of time before old birds die and the population crashes. In payments from a wealthy European often disappear from intact habitat living in Asuncion, the capital of around the world decades before many areas, trappers also capture Members of Paraguay. The European would fly the habitat is any danger. They adult birds, thereby reducing by small plane to the trapper's disappear because poor, roving stocks of reproductive-aged birds. town and place the order complete ~ From point of capture through bird trappers respond to buy with down payment. They then IUCN orders put out by unscrupulous transhipment to final retail sale, 11Ie World Conservation union agreed on a date weeks or months urban middlemen. These trappers mortality of captured parrots is roam intact forests from Mexico to enormous. For each wild parrot later when the European would that reaches a pet store in the return by plane, this time filled Argentina systematically seeking with cages, to pick up the macaws. out these large, coveted birds and industrial world, often 2-10 others die brutally in transit. The buy orders typically varied selling them at very low prices to from 20 to 40 birds, but in another As most large New World parrot the middlemen. As the trappers situation I heard of a firm order for never own the forests in which they species still have plenty of intact habitat, trappers are the most 100 Hyacinth Macaws! The local trap, they have no incentive to trapper told us that he was paid manage the parrot resource serious single threat to their survival. From 1975-1984, for approximately 40 dollars per bird, sustainably. Instead, they compete which at that time was roughly instance, trappers nearly among themselves to mine the 0.75% (three quarters of one unprotected populations of large eliminated large macaws from a California-sized region of percent) of the final retail price in 2 the US and Europe. He indicated major Bolivian city. When Carlos Hyacinths by people such as this Puerto Rico) have shown to be both that he normally asked Brazilian Yamashita and I came across this greedy, irresponsible ranch owner. feasible and replicable): ranch owners for permission to budding macaw middleman, he In the case of the Hyacinth 1) protection from trapping and trap birds on their lands, complained bitterly that his Macaw, an area of about 100,000 subsistence hunting; 2) a halt to whereupon he systematically would investment had gone wrong.

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