Parrots go wild with hopes of survival
October 10, 2007 — Filed in: Conservation
The biggest release ever of orange-bellied parrots will carry the hopes of a conservation program.
Up to 80 will fly free from Birchs Inlet in Tasmania’s South-West tomorrow.
All have been bred in captivity, with health checks and leg-banding today before an air-and-sea trip to their new home near Strahan.
The tiny parrot is among the world’s most endangered birds, with fewer than 150 believed to live in the wild.
Orange-bellied parrots breed only in Tasmania’s South-West but migrate to Victoria and South Australia each year, hugging the Tasmanian coastline before crossing Bass Strait, stopping at King Island on the way.
Despite weighing just 40g to 45g, they have been known to fly from Port Phillip Bay to south-west Tasmania in two days.
“We’re checking first to make sure they’re a decent weight, we want them to have a good start, then it’s up to them,” project manager Mark Holdsworth said.
“These are mostly first-year birds, aged eight to nine months. Once released, they start feeding on native food in a matter of hours.”
So far, releases have ranged from just two or three to 15 but it is hoped the release of such a big flock will offer safety and better chances of project volunteers following the birds’ progress.
Of the 80 birds, 37 were raised at the Department of Primary Industries’ Taroona site, three at Adelaide Zoo and 40 at Victoria’s Healesville Sanctuary.
Mr Holdsworth is impressed by the birds’ capability in the wild.
“When we let them go, they wheel around, they love it,” he said.
“Our aim is to build on releases at Birchs Inlet that have resulted in the establishment of a small population.
“The hope is that this release will inject enough animals into the population to become self-sufficient.
“Over the years, we’ve observed released birds and their offspring throughout their range, including a bird born at Birchs Inlet (the offspring of a captive bird).
