Expert: Roger Lederer - 10/7/2009

Question
Are swift parrots bred in zoos, if so what website can i find this information on?

Why are biologist keen in saving them?

Answer
Here is some information from Wikipedia with references. Hope this answers your questions.

The Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in Queensland and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet. It is the only member in the genus Lathamus.

The Swift Parrot is endangered with only about 1000 pairs remaining in the wild, and its population is declining.

The Swift Parrot is about 25 cm (10 in) long and has long pointed wings and long tapering tail feathers. It is mainly green with bluish crown and red on the face above and below the beak. The adult female is slightly duller, and the juvenile has a dark brown iris and a pale orange bill.
Breeding and social habits

The species breeds in Tasmania from September to December. It nests in tree hollows about 6–20 metres from ground level and usually with other breeding pairs. Eggs are white with 3–5 per clutch. Voice is of high pitched tinking chattering, piping pee-pit, pee-pit.
Migration

The Swift Parrot migrates across the Bass Strait between Tasmania and the mainland of Australia. They arrive in Tasmania during September and return to south-eastern Australia during March and April.[2] They can be found as far north as south-eastern Queensland and as far west as Adelaide although recent sightings have been restricted to the Eastern part of the state.


Usually inhabiting: forests, woodlands, agricultural land and plantations, and also in urban areas.


Seeds and grains, green vegetation, fruit, nectar and pollen, insects and larvae.
Conservation Status

It is thought that only 1000 pairs remain in the wild. Habitat destruction and loss of old trees with nesting hollows is the critical factor in its decline.
Australia

Swift Parrots are listed as endangered on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
State of Victoria, Australia

   * The Swift Parrot is listed as threatened on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act .[3] Under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared.

   * On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the Swift Parrot is listed as endangered.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Swift Parrot - BirdLife Species Factsheet". BirdLife International. 2008. http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid...
  2. ^ Forshaw (2006). page 79.
  3. ^ Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
  4. ^ Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria
  5. ^ Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (2007). Advisory List of Threatened Vertebrate Fauna in Victoria - 2007. East Melbourne, Victoria: Department of Sustainability and Environment. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-74208-039-0.

   * BirdLife International (2006). Lathamus discolor. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a range map, a brief justification of why this species is endangered, and the criteria used
   * Field guide to the birds of Australia Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight, Angus & Robertson 1997, 3rd edition 2000. ISBN 0-207-19714-8

[edit] Cited texts

   * Forshaw, Joseph. M (2006). Parrots of the World; an identification guide. Illustrated by Frank Knight. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691092516.