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Sponsor a Wild Parrot Newsletter
Online Newsletter
September 2008
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Seventeen birds that were once captives of trappers and smugglers are once again in their rainforest home in Seram. Because of you, our adopted "fids" can return home.

Mandy Andrea (Director, "Sponsor a Wild Parrot Program")

17 RETURN HOME
Cockatoos and lories released
Cockatoo Release February 26, 2008

Two Seram cockatoos, drawn to the newly opened hatch above their cages, come forward to investigate the ramifications of this new and strange occurrence.

These cockatoos had been under the care and observation of the staff at Kembali Bebas Avian Rehabilitation Center (KB) in Seram.

KB currently houses more than 150 birds seized by government officials from trappers and smugglers in the illegal trade of protected wildlife. At KB, the birds receive veterinary care and testing for diseases. They are housed in cages surrounded by the natural sounds and sight of their rain forest home to recover from injuries and psychological trauma.

These two cockatoos in the photograph above are two of the seventeen birds - thirteen Seram cockatoos and four Purple-naped lories - soft-released in January and February this year.

In a soft-release, the cage as well as food remain available to them should they need them as they adapt to independence. Their adjustment to forest life is also made easier by releasing them during the rainy season, the time of year their natural foods are most abundant in the wild.

Like the Seram cockatoos released in 2006, this year's cockatoos did not take long to climb one by one through the opening and onto the top of the cage.

Pausing briefly to assess the situation from this vantage point, they spread their wings and flew confidently into the forest. The lories on the other hand spent a good twenty minutes, making sure to take their fill of the complimentary fruit before taking flight and disappearing into the forest.

Indonesian Parrot Project website
Spotlight
Purple-naped lory
Purple-naped lory

In January, four of the seventeen birds released were Purple-naped lories (lorius domicella).

Although it is a protected species, Purple-naped lories are disappearing from their endemic habitats in the montane forests of South Molucca. Capture for the cage-bird trade - the main cause - has devastated populations.

They are also believed to have magical qualities by the Nuaulu, a tribe of 2500 people living in central Seram, who are legendary for their tradition of ritual decapitations. They are known to hang "kihoke" wings outside houses to protect occupants from illnesses.

What do they eat in the wild? Nectar-, pollen-, flower-, and fruit-eaters, Purple-naped lories feast on the calcium-rich fruit of the immense fig tree as do many other animals of the forest. The flowers of Eucalyptus deglupta are also relished (this tree is also valuable for providing nesting sites). There appears to have been a solitary sighting of a Purple-naped lory picking into a dry flower of the spiny rattan, and they have been observed chewing on the bark of dead trees. They tend to forage in the sub-canopy sometimes along with other birds such as Red and Rainbow lorikeets, honey-eaters, and Moluccan King-parrot.

Known to exist in the wild only on Seram, and possibly on the adjacent small island of Ambon, the population of this charismatic species continues to decline. It is now classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, upgraded from "threatened" in 1988.

BirdLife International 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Certificate of "Adoption"
Certificate of "Adoption"

A Sponsor-a-Wild-Parrot certificate is a great gift for that someone who has everything. It can be made "in memory" or "in honor" of a loved one. If it is for a special occasion, it can be personalized with the specific date as well. Please allow a minimum of 3 weeks for processing and delivery.

Information on levels of sponsorship

Mandy Andrea
Indonesian Parrot Project
phone: 206-300-8390