In some rare good news, it appears that the critically endangered Orange Bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) has survived the worst rigours of the recent Australian fires and its numbers are up over eightfold since 2017 when it was thought that only 14 were left in the wild. This still only equates to around 118 though and they remain on the UICN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list. Still, its a ray of hope and when added to the captive breeding efforts means that the species might actually survive (scientists had expected the species to die out in the wild).
Image:Puffin’s Pictures/shutterstock.com
The diminutive Orange Bellied Parrots are one of only a few parrot-like species which migrate; they breed in Tasmania and spend their winters on the Australian mainland. Being so few in number they are vulnerable to the perils of the journey as well as suffering from habitat loss, however, it is hoped that 40-50 of them will make it to their breeding grounds at Melaleuca, a Tasmanian World Heritage Wilderness site this season This would be a big increase from the 23 that made it last year.
