Parrots have long had a reputation as rowdies of the bird world, given to raucous squawks, blue language and salty piratical company. Nevertheless, the National Federation of Zoological Gardens has chosen two species on a Caribbean island as beneficiaries of its annual fund-raising campaign.
The imperial and red-necked parrots, found only on Dominica in the Lesser Antilles, are critically endangered and the object is to provide รบ24,000 to help the International Council for Bird Preservation to carry out a programme of research and local education.
Dr Peter Bennett, of the Zoological Society of London, who is the federation's conservation co-ordinator, says: "Parrots have a familiar, friendly image to the guy in the street but there is not a lot of information about them in the wild. In fact, although much is on record about a few living in temperate areas, we know virtually nothing about the life of those in tropical zones."
According to estimates only 50 imperials (Amazona imperialii) survive and 250 red-necked (A. arausiaca) in diminishing mountain rainforest. The plumage of Amazon parrots, of which there are 26 species and 52 sub-species, is predominantly green; but the handsome imperial, 20 inches long and the largest of them, has a violet breast. It lives on the upper slopes of the island.
Hurricanes are sure to be an important factor in the fortunes of the Caribbean parrots. In 1979, Hurricane David devastated large areas of Dominica, particularly in the south, where the imperial is no longer found.
Introducing their "parrots in peril" scheme, the federation said that Dominica's economy depends on farming and pointed out that in the past five or 10 years, large areas of rainforest have been logged to make way for agriculture.
