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August 16, 2007
'Protein pill' saves parrot in peril
SCOTTISH scientists have helped to save one of the strangest and most endangered birds in the world from extinction.
The kakapo, the world's only nocturnal and flightless parrot, was facing extinction due to man's invasion of its habitat, in New Zealand.
But experts in Glasgow have been instrumental in helping to boost its numbers by developing a food supplement to improve its breeding potential.
Environmental factors such habitat clearance and the introduction of predatory animals caused numbers of the breed to dwindle to only 51 in 1995.
Another problem is that kakapos breed infrequently. This is because they feed their young on the fruits of the pink pine and rimu trees, which produce fruit every two to six years - so kakapos only breed then.
During the years in between, the kakapo's natural diet consists of coarse leaves, grasses and herbs, which lack adequate nutrients for rearing chicks.
David Houston, professor of zoology at Glasgow University, has worked for ten years developing methods of helping endangered bird species.
He has developed a "protein pill" to supplement the kakapo's diet, helping it to create more and better quality eggs.
"We had been looking at the factors that influence the number and quality of eggs," he said. "While domestic chickens receive all the nutrients they need for egg production in their daily food, wild birds set them down in their body over a period of time. I became interested in the kakapo because I was convinced its eggs have been affected by its diet." ...
In collaboration with the New Zealand Board of Conservation, which has spearheaded efforts to save the kakapo, a pellet consisting of various amino acids needed for strong egg production was devised. It also includes crushed almonds and dried egg.
The first trial feeds were carried out in 2002, and Prof Houston said: "There was real concern over whether or not they would eat them, because they are the sole breed of parrot that eats nothing but foliage. But the pellets were put in hoppers, from which the birds ate them without any trouble."
Within the first year, there were measurable results: they had gone from low numbers of eggs being produced and poor chick survival, to the production of 64 eggs, 30 of which hatched healthy chicks. The supplement has since helped further boost the number of kakapos, which now stands at 86.
While they have been unable to speed up the breeding cycle - it is thought to be tied to visual cues from the fruit trees - it is hoped numbers will pass the 100 mark in a few years and that the kakapo will eventually lose its endangered species label.
Colin Oulton, head keeper in the bird section at Edinburgh Zoo, said of the kakapo: "Its massive size and flightlessness make it a very unique bird.
"It has only been down to the fantastic work of the conservationists, moving them to safe islands and monitoring them, that has helped save the breed from extinction. It is a very strange bird with a strange story."
• THE kakapo parrot was able to fly. In prehistoric times it arrived on the uninhabited islands of New Zealand.
Lacking predators, the "owl parrot" as it is also known - due to its nocturnal habits and owl-like face - lost the ability to fly, and took to living on the ground among foliage.
It can run fast for great distances and climbs high trees, using its wings to "parachute" down.
The intrusion of humanity to its habitat brought with it cats, rats and other predators that nearly destroyed the species.
Efforts to rescue the species from extinction have been made since 1890, but only began to succeed in the 1980s, with the setting up of suitable habitats for the birds on four predator-free islands.
Unlike other parrot species, kakapos are described as being easy- going and friendly.
This article: http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1287182007
Posted by sue at August 16, 2007 10:30 AM