Encouraging breeding season for Critically Endangered Orange-bellied parrot

There are probably less than 100 wild Orange bellied parrots in existence. 

At least 23 fledglings counted in Tasmania

March 2013.  According to Mark Holdsworth, Tasmanian Recovery Program Coordinator for the Orange Bellied Parrot, volunteers at Melalueca, where the entire population of Orange-bellied parrots spend the winter, have spotted 4 unbanded juvenile parrots together at the feedtable. With 19 juveniles already banded , this means there are now at least 23 juvenile birds this season and possibly more. Considering there were 14 juveniles last year, this is very encouraging news for the species survival in the wild. 

Wild birds breeding
"The other news during the 2012 breeding season was encouraging, with all known adult females participating in breeding at Melaleuca and at least 14 young fledging. The team decided it wasn't necessary for any more wild birds to be taken into captivity this year as part of the Captive Breeding program."

Credit Chris Tzaros of Birds Australia

Captive breeding
"The successful captive breeding program, based at Healesville Sanctuary in Victoria, as well as at other facilities in Tasmania, NSW and South Australia, now has more than 200 birds and the team is considering the possibility of a release of captive-bred birds in the near future."

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a migratory bird, which breeds only in coastal south-west Tasmania and spends the winter in coastal Victoria and South Australia. 

The Orange-bellied Parrot National Recovery Team consists of representatives of the Commonwealth, Victorian, Tasmanian and South Australian governments, Zoos Victoria, Adelaide Zoo, Birdlife Australia, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and threatened species experts.

To get the latest update, go to the Orange-bellied parrot Facebook page 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/orange-parrot-breeding13.html