Conserving Slender-billed Conures in Chile A report by Tony Pittman had kept Slender-billed Conures of wild and cultivated plants, including weeds (Enicognathus leptorhynchus) for 16 years (yuyo). before I made my fi rst trip to Chile at the end It is partial to the seeds contained in the cones Iof 2003. Th is small species of parakeet originates of the Araucaria pines, which it can open without in southern Chile where it lives in thickly wooded diffi culty with its long curved bill. However these rolling country studded with lakes between the pines have suff ered fungal disease at low altitudes in Pacifi c Ocean and the Andes. It is unfortunately recent years and no longer grow in much of the dis- rapidly disappearing from aviculture although it is tribution area of the Slender-billed Conure. Th e loss a delightful engaging and playful species of parrot. of this food source may have resulted in increased Th ere appeared to be little information on its status damage to cultivated crops. While the fl ock feeds in the wild other than a report publishedin 1967 sentinels take up position in nearby trees and give (A.W. Johnson) that it had been much reduced by the alarm as soon danger is perceived. an outbreak of Newcastle’s disease as well as “exces- Th ere are incidentally four native species of par- sive shooting” and loss of habitat because of logging rot in Chile and one introduced species. Th e three activities. other native species are a sub-species (formerly Called “choroy” locally, the Slender-billed byroni, but now re-named bloxami) of the Patago- Conure is 40 cm–43 cm (16"–17") long. It is dull nian Conure or Burrowing Parrot (Cyanoliseus green with the tips darker giving it a scaly look, patagonus) locally called “tricahué," which lives in a dark red forehead band and the characteristic long small area some 125 km (75 miles) south of Santiago; slender upper mandible. It lives year-round in large the Mountain Parakeet (Psilopsiagon, formerly Bol- noisy gregarious fl ocks—which incidentally allows borhynchus aurifrons) called locally “perico cordil- colony keeping and breeding in aviculture—and lerano” and the Austral Conure (Enicognathus fer- according to Johnson fed mainly on the tiny seeds rugineus) called locally “cachaña." Th e introduced The Andes Mountains as seen on approach through the aircraft window. AFA Watchbird 23 WB_35-3_v16.indd 23 1/22/09 10:17:35 AM FF 01/22/09 Slender-billed Conure perched high in the trees. species through escapees is the Conure. I was helped in I fl ew from Santiago to Val- I discovered that originally Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta arranging this by Alvaro Jara- divia I could see the beach on the family owned some 1,250 monachus) or “cotorra” which millo, a then California-based one side and the peaks of the acres of land around the house, lives in and around the capital Chilean biologist/ornithol- Andes on the other. Within its which then overlooked a small Santiago. ogist, who was just about to borders it has the world’s dri- river some 350 feet wide. Th e Th e Austral Conure has a publish a new book on “Birds est desert, vast expanses of for- earthquake, which devastated much larger distribution area of Chile." He recommended a est and a spectacular array of Valdivia and the surround- in southern Chile than the biologist friend of his—Jorge glaciers and fi ords. It has more ing area resulted in most of Slender-billed Conure, but Ruiz—who worked as a tour than 2,000 volcanoes, 55 of this land sinking by 6 feet and where they occur in the same guide at a eco-tourist lodge which are active. Th ere were fl ooding. area they associate. It is smaller near the city of Valdivia in two major eruptions earlier Now the house overlooks than the Slender-billed Conure southern Chile. I contacted this year (2008). As I looked an immense lagoon nearly a and lacks the characteristic bill the lodge—the Santa Maria out of the aircraft window I mile wide. Th e family was left of the latter, but I found them lodge—through its Web site could see the enormous cone with some 215 acres in two diffi cult to tell apart when in and arranged to be picked of Villarrica. Chile also suff ers small areas linked by a narrow fl ight or perched at the top of up at the local airport by its from earthquakes although strip of land alongside a neigh- a tree. In fl ight the Slender- owner, Christian Dünner. the last major one in the Slen- bour’s property. Th e smaller billed Conure tucks in its bill hile is a South der-billed Conure area mea- area of some 90 acres around against its neck, presumably A m e r i c a n c o u n t r y suring an incredible 9.5 on the the house was dedicated to a for aerodynamic reasons. Csqueezed between the Richter scale was in 1960. tree and shrub nursery supply- I went to Chile in 2003 Pacifi c Ocean and the Andes. Th e scenery at the lodge was ing the distant market of San- because of the apparent lack It is just over 4,300 km (2,700 breathtaking with lush for- tiago operated by the owner of reliable up-to-date infor- miles long), but only 180 km est, mountains and the cone and his business partner and mation on the Slender-billed (110 miles) at its widest. When of Villarrica in the distance. the larger area of 125 acres was 24 Volume XXXV • Number 3 • 2009 WB_35-3_v16.indd 24 1/22/09 10:17:38 AM FF 01/22/09 Nestbox number 18—One of the several sites provided. AFA Watchbird 25 WB_35-3_v16.indd 25 1/22/09 10:17:39 AM FF 01/22/09 left as a nature reserve with fruits of various tree species original woodland. Th e land is such as Pordocarpus saligna part of the Rio Cruces nature called “mañio” locally, Aex- reserve covering just under toxicon punctatum called 12,500 acres of habitat. “olivillo” or “teque” locally Jorge and I went for a walk and the new leaves of Nothof- around the reserve area soon agus obliqua called “roble” aft er my arrival and I had my locally. He has since observed fi rst sighting of Slender-billed Austral Conures feeding on and Austral Conures in the the fl owers of Embothrium wild. I must admit to hearing coccineum,called “notro” them fi rst for the forest was locally. full of their to me very famil- Th e high rainfall in the iar cries. area has produced lush broad- I had had e-mail contact leaf evergreen forest—accord- with Jorge before my arrival Slender-billed Conure chick. ing to Jaramillo (2003) the so he was well aware of my only temperate rainforest in interest and was able to pro- his 1967 book did not actually at Santa Maria lodge. South America. Several spe- vide useful information from aff ect the two parrot species Johnson had reported that cies of Nothofagus dominate, the outset. Th e fi rst and per- very much, although it had the Slender-billed Conure fed but there also several broad- haps most important piece of initially devastated the popu- off the seeds of wild and cul- leaf trees of various families. information was that the out- lation of the Chilean Pigeon tivated plants such as thistles, We found both Slender- billed break of Newcastle’s disease in (Patagioenas araucana), a large, wheat and weeds. Jorge was Conures and Australs nest- the middle of the 20th century very attractive bird much in able to extend this small list ing in the “roble” (Nothofagus reported by A.W. Johnson in evidence throughout my stay to include the seeds within the obliqua) and also the “ulmo” 26 Volume XXXV • Number 3 • 2009 WB_35-3_v16.indd 26 1/22/09 10:17:41 AM FF 01/22/09 Native fl owering tree. Flower bud (Eucryphia cordifolia). sale locally as pets. Th ere were fl ew back to the UK happy in last year (2007) provided t was in an “ulmo” a few narrow slats still hang- the knowledge that although funding for constructing and tree that we discovered ing off on the lowest part of the the Slender-billed Conure was installing 20 nest boxes. I vis- Ia nesting pair of Slender- tree and the faint outlines of suff ering from habitat loss like ited Chile at the end of 2007 billed Conures. Th e tree had long missing slats were visible species all over the globe, it to see whether any progress been fi tted with wooden hor- higher up. Th e trunk inclined did not appear to be especially had been made with the nest- izontal slats to form a make- slightly in the other direction, endangered as I had originally boxes. We had hoped to be able shift ladder some 15 to 20 years which would have made climb- feared. to study the conures’ reproduc- ago. Th is had been done to ing the tree much easier. Since this fi rst visit I have tive behaviour more closely. remove young from the nest for At the end of this visit I kept in touch with Jorge and How ever none of the nest- AFA Watchbird 27 WB_35-3_v16.indd 27 1/22/09 10:17:42 AM FF 01/22/09 boxes had been taken up by either the Slender-billed or Austral Conures.