ASSESSING NEW METHODS FOR PSITTACINE CONSERVATION AT THE CAPTIVE-WILD INTERFACE A Dissertation by CONSTANCE JOSIANE WOODMAN Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Chair of Committee, Donald J. Brightsmith Committee Members, Rosemary L. Walzem Walter E. Cook Sharman Hoppes Head of Department, Ramesh Vemulapalli May 2021 Major Subject: Biomedical Sciences Copyright 2021 Constance Josiane Woodman ABSTRACT This dissertation overviews novel methods related to breed and release of parrots for conservation. Broadly, the document discusses research about the maintenance of captive breeding parrots, and the preparation of their offspring for release into the wild. A conclusion chapter identifies conflicts common to this type of conservation work and discusses ways to create research projects that avoid them. The maintenance chapter, focuses on reducing the fear and chronic stress in captivity through the development and use of novel automated, computer tablet-based technology. The release preparation chapter, overviews a method training parrots to fly safely in wild areas that is derived from the parrot free-flight hobby community, using systematic exposure to outdoor environments. The conclusion is a reflection of lessons learned. The interdisciplinary nature of this work, bridging captivity, wild, and human dimensions, creates complications for the researcher who must bridge these disparate worlds. ii CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors This work was supervised by a dissertation committee consisting of Professor Donald J. Brightsmith of the Department of Veterinary pathobiology, Professor Walter E. Cook of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Professor Rosemary L. Walzem of the Department of Poultry Science, and Professor Sharman Hoppes of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The data collection and editing in Appendix A included Amelia Min-Venditti, who is a published co-authors on the published version of the manuscript. The data collection in Chapter 2 included Jane Varkey. All other work conducted for the thesis (or) dissertation was completed by the student independently. Funding Sources Graduate study was supported by a fellowship from the National Science Foundation, and two graduate research stipends from a National Science Foundation research grants NSF IGERT 0654377, NSF ICORPS 1634613, NSF PFI AIR-TT 1701026. This work iii was also made possible in part by Microsoft Corporation’s corporate matching program, the Quaker Parakeet Society, the Veterinary Professional Research Program at Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M LAUNCH undergraduate research program, and the Federal Workstudy Program. These programs supported, paid student participation, and in some cases, equipment purchase. The contents of this dissertation are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of any funding body. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................ii CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES ............................................................ iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. x 1. INTRODUCTION: DEFINING THE CAPTIVE-WILD INTERFACE ....................... 1 1.1. Reintroduction is an important tool ......................................................................... 1 1.2. Many species are in need of captive breeding and release ...................................... 1 1.3. Reintroduction is a complex, multidisciplinary science .......................................... 2 1.4. Captive breeding and reintroduction is a young science ......................................... 2 1.5. Reintroduction process ............................................................................................ 3 1.6. Works Cited............................................................................................................. 6 2. AUTOMATED TRAINING AS A MECHANISM TO REDUCE NEOPHOBIC RESPONSES IN CAPTIVE ANIMALS ........................................................................... 8 2.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 8 2.1.1. Neophobia causes chronic stress in captive animals ........................................ 8 2.1.2. How caged animals cope with fear ................................................................... 9 2.1.3. Captive care techniques and neophobia ......................................................... 10 2.2. Methods ................................................................................................................. 12 2.2.1. Study species .................................................................................................. 12 2.2.2. Justification for animal model ........................................................................ 13 2.2.3. Study site and husbandry ................................................................................ 14 2.2.4. Training Technology ...................................................................................... 15 2.2.5. Experimental procedure ................................................................................. 16 2.2.6. Video analysis ................................................................................................ 18 2.2.7. Statistical analysis .......................................................................................... 20 2.3. Results ................................................................................................................... 24 2.3.1. Behavior outcomes ......................................................................................... 24 2.3.2. Treatment effects ............................................................................................ 24 2.3.3. Effects of face video training without familiarity .......................................... 27 v 2.3.4. Familiarity as a predictor of mate attack ........................................................ 29 2.3.5. Correlation of behavior .................................................................................. 30 2.3.6. Behavior similarity across the sexes .............................................................. 31 2.4. Discussion ............................................................................................................. 31 2.4.1. Study outcomes .............................................................................................. 31 2.4.2. Limitations ...................................................................................................... 33 2.4.3. Correlation of behaviors ................................................................................. 34 2.4.4. Conclusions .................................................................................................... 35 2.4.5. Implications for practice ................................................................................. 36 2.5. Ethical considerations ........................................................................................... 37 2.6. Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 37 2.7. Authorship statement............................................................................................. 37 2.8. Works Cited........................................................................................................... 38 3. PARROT FREE-FLIGHT TRAINING AS A CONSERVATION TOOL .................. 44 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................... 44 3.2. Materials and methods .......................................................................................... 47 3.2.1. Flock descriptions ........................................................................................... 50 3.2.2. Locations ........................................................................................................ 51 3.2.3. Data types and collection ............................................................................... 54 3.2.4. Level zero ....................................................................................................... 55 3.2.5. Level one ........................................................................................................ 61 3.2.6. Level two ........................................................................................................ 67 3.2.7. Level three ...................................................................................................... 72 3.2.8. Level four ....................................................................................................... 77 3.2.9. Level five ........................................................................................................ 82 3.3. Results ..................................................................................................................