zoos victoria's 2o priority species orange-bellied parrot

ZOOS VICTORIA’S 2O PRIORITY SPECIESORANGE-BELLIED PARROTNeophema chrysogasterCritically EndangeredWith fewer than 50 individuals remainingin the wild, this Critically Endangeredparrot is teetering on the edge ofextinction. Zoos Victoria recognises theneed for urgent action to save this speciesand plays a key role in promoting itsrecovery. We are working to prevent theextinction of this charismatic parrot byengaging in research to improve futurere-introduction success and maintainingsustainable insurance populations that willsupport future releases into the wild.

Zoos Victoria is committed to Fighting ExtinctionWe are working to ensure that no Victorian terrestrial vertebratespecies goes extinct on our watch.The Orange-bellied Parrot is ingrave danger of extinction in thewild. Despite concerted efforts in thepast, numbers of this parrot continueto decline. Working closely with theOrange-bellied Parrot RecoveryTeam and other stakeholders, ZoosVictoria is focused on activities thathave tangible outcomes and willensure a future for this species.KEY PROGRAM OBJECTIVES+ Increase the genetic diversity of thecaptive population by adding newindividuals from the wild into the existingcaptive-bred population+ Maintain sustainable insurancepopulations at both Healesville Sanctuaryand Melbourne Zoo+ Support and engage in research toimprove re-introduction success andpromote recovery of the wild population+ Foster community support andinvolvement in the conservation andrecovery of the Orange-bellied Parrotand its habitat.PROGRAM OUTCOMES+ Released nearly 250 captive-bred birds tosupport wild populations since 1993+ Refined husbandry techniques resulting inimproved breeding success+ State-of-the-art breeding/researchfacilities at Healesville Sanctuary+ Successful integration of new wildfounders to improve the genetic health ofour insurance population.SPECIES AT RISKThe Orange-bellied Parrot is Australia’s mostendangered bird species. Weighing only45-50g, these birds annually migrate acrossBass Strait from their breeding site in remotesouth-western Tasmania to the south-easterncoast of the mainland. During this overwinterperiod, the parrots are mostly foundwithin three kilometres of the coast wherethey forage on coastal saltmarsh vegetation.Orange-bellied Parrot numbers havedeclined because both their mainland andTasmanian habitat has been fragmented anddegraded. Primary causes are:+ Alteration and destruction of saltmarshhabitat for industrial and urbandevelopment+ Vegetation clearance for agriculturalpurposes+ Inappropriate fire regimes+ Drought on the mainland+ Weed invasion in Tasmania.Populations are also affected by introducedpredators (e.g. foxes and cats), andcompetition for nesting hollows with SugarGliders, Common Starlings and Honey Beesand/or food with introduced finches.The Orange-bellied Parrot’s breeding rangehas also dramatically contracted and is nowknown to occur only at Melaleuca.PROGRAM PARTNERSDepartment of Sustainability andEnvironment Victoriawww.dse.vic.gov.auDepartment of Primary Industries, Parks,Water and Environmentwww.dpiw.tas.gov.auBirds Australiawww.birdsaustralia.com.auUniversity of Melbournewww.unimelb.edu.auUniversity of Sheffieldwww.shef.ac.ukZoo and Aquarium Associationwww.zooaquarium.org.auIMAGESFront: The Orange-bellied Parrot isAustralia’s most endangered bird species.Below Top: Individuals fly over Bass Straitto feed on salt marsh around the southeast coast of the mainland.Below Bottom: Orange-bellied Parrotshave a clutch size of 4-6 eggs and chicksusually fledge between 5-6 weeks.Photos: Chris Tzaros.FIND OUT MOREwww.zoo.org.au/conservationZoos Victoria is a not-for-profit, zoo based conservation organisation.We are Fighting Extinction through our local and global conservation programs,research projects and community conservation campaigns. For more informationon this or any other Zoos Victoria project, visit www.zoo.org.au/conservationPrinted on 100% recycled paper