Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Concerns for gem of the forest
AN upcoming count will allow the birding community to document the population of the critically endangered Cape Parrot.
The Cape Parrot Big Birding Day (CPBBD) will assess whether the species are in decline or increasing. The total population of Cape Parrots at last count was 1800.
This year marks the 27th CPBBD. KwaZulu-Natal and the former Transkei will count the central sub-population on the afternoon of the 4th and morning of May 5. Those in the Amatholes (Stutterheim, Hogsback, Fort Beaufort) – or the southern sub-population - and Limpopo – northern sub-population – will count on the afternoon of the 20th and morning of April 21.
Colleen Downs, overall co-ordinator of the bird count, said the Cape Parrot is the only parrot species found in South Africa and other species are found in other parts of Southern Africa.
The biggest dangers that the Cape Parrot faces are ordinary folk catching them as pets, because they are so rare, and trying to sell or export them.
“We got a stud book and only those bred in captivity can be exported legally,” said Downs.
The CPBBD is focused on documenting the population numbers of the bird. The Cape Parrot Newsletter is also gathering information about bird and mammal forest species.
The Cape Parrot Working Group (CPWG) at UKZN was formed in 2001 with the aim of promoting initiatives that will serve to conserve the species in the wild. Since then the CPWG has worked through a number of initiatives towards conserving the species.
One of the aims of the group is to generate public awareness around the Cape Parrot's conservation by turning scientific findings into information that is useful and accessible to all stakeholders in Cape Parrot conservation.
The bird was labelled as the jewel of the forest, which ran as a main theme for the Bird of the Year campaign last year, but it is also considered as an ambassador for the Mistbelt Forest Habitat, decided by the stakeholders from the Cape Parrot Action Plan workshop in 2019.
“Many people are disheartened when they see no parrots, or the parrots no longer visit the area they are stationed at for the count. However, this still contributes greatly to our knowledge and understanding of the current situation of the Cape Parrots. Climate and weather patterns over the past few years have become chaotic with many changes, for example, with rainfall, at a local level. The effects of this have been notable with many bird species, Cape Parrots included,” said the Newsletter. “Citizen science plays a major role in adding to information about species and this initiative has been running strong for 27 years. It has provided many insights and helped us understand where to best focus efforts to protect (this endangered bird).”