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News from Loro Parque, Tenerife - August 2008
Our four young Lear's Macaws (Anodoryhnchus leari) are developing very well and have been ringed already. While the first, who was hand-raised, is already fledged and is trying its first flying exercises, the other three chicks are now 4 weeks old. Two are being raised in the nest, one by its own parents and the other by foster parents (a pair of Green-winged Macaws - Ara chloroptera), and another chick is in the Baby Station of Loro Parque being raised by hand. After having received the two Lear's Macaw pairs in October 2006 from the São Paulo Zoo in Brazil by the Brazilian conservation authority (Chico Mendes Institute of Biodiversity Conservation) that oversees breeding community, the population has grown, through the last year's and this year's breeding successes, in less than two years to eleven animals in the Loro Parque Fundación. This is an excellent contribution to the conservation of endangered parrot species and motivates the staff of the Loro Parque Fundación to redouble its efforts.
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Young Lear's Macaw (Anodorhynchus leari) at
his first flying exercise, with his caretaker Isa
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Left photo: Young Pesquet's Parrot
(Psittrichas fulgidus)
Following that the young Pesquet's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) hatched in the spring is now independent, another chick has hatched some days ago, and will be also raised by hand. Presently Loro Parque is possibly the only zoo Europe-wide that is constantly rearing these parrots which have become very rare. We would like to try to build up over the long term a self-sustaining breeding group with several pairs.
A very good breeding year has taken place for our Purple-bellied Parrots (Triclaria malachitacea), with four pairs successful in breeding again.
Right photo: Adult Purple-bellied Parrot male
(Triclaria malachitacea)
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| While our Lesser Vasa Parrots (Coracopsis nigra) still haven't started to breed, our breeding group of Greater Vasa Parrots (Coracopsis vasa) is firmly established. Four pairs raised their youngsters by themselves, whilst the other two young birds were success- |
Two young Red-spectacled Amazons (Amazona pretrei),
which are hand-raised in the Baby Station of Loro Parque
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successfully hand-raised in the Baby-Station of Loro Parque. This nearly black parrot from Madagascar is not very common in captivity, which is wrong! Their interesting reproduction, but also their melodious, almost singing sounds provide sufficiently interesting feature to keep these parrots, and through captive breeding to stabilise the breeding population.
A few years ago we got our Pileated Parrots (Pionospitta pileata) to breed successfully for the first time in a bigger group aviary. Today five adult pairs are kept in separated pairs in five side by side enclosures. Certainly the aviaries are separated by visual barriers, so that the birds can hear, but can't see each other and therefore no mutual disturbance can take place. Four of the five pairs have started to breed this year, from which one pair produced infertile eggs. The other three pairs were more successful and each of them reared between three and five chicks by themselves.
After last year's breeding pause, our Red-spectacled Amazons (Amazona pretrei) were this year successful again. While two youngsters are being hand-raised up in the Baby Station of Loro Parque, three youngsters are growing-up with their own parents. They are attended very well and have already been ringed.
Dr. Matthias Reinschmidt, Curator, Loro Parque Tenerife
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