Mauritius Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Mauritius Parakeet (Psittacula eques echo), also known as Echo Parakeet, is the sole survivor of the Psittacula
species which inhabited the southern Indian ocean
islands near Madagascar
. Its local name is katover.
(described earlier as Psittacula eques, based on a painting and hearsay reports) did indeed exist. The Réunion
birds were the closest relatives, and presumably conspecific, with the Mauritius ones.
On the other hand, a recent review argued to maintain species status for the time being. A study skin had been discovered at the Royal Museum of Scotland, explicitly referencing a book description of the Réunion birds. This may be the only material proof of these birds' existence, or be from Mauritius. Even in that case, ancient DNA
analysis of this specimen will give new insight into these questions, because very little data exists on the genetic diversity of the Mauritius Parakeet in former times.
In any case, the Réunion and Mauritius birds certainly formed a clade
. Until the new DNA data is available - and even then only if it would show a significant difference -, it is really a matter of opinion whether one follows a lumper or a splitter
approach.
—its closest living relative—except that the Mascarenes bird is a stockier species with a markedly shorter tail and a more intensive emerald green. The females lack the neck collar, and notably possess an all-black beak, unlike the males which have a red upper beak. The latter feature is notably absent in the Rose-ringed Parakeet as well as the Alexandrine Parakeet
, which is also generally similar and not too distantly related. However, it is found in the Red-breasted Parakeet
, the Derbyan Parakeet
and the Nicobar Parakeet
which are morphologically dissimilar and apparently very closely related among each other, though not to the Mauritius Parakeet or its immediate relatives.
. In the early 1980s, this parakeet was almost extinct. The roughly 10 birds that were left had hardly ever bred successfully since some 10 years before for the lack of suitable trees, nest predation, disturbance by humans and feral pigs and deer, and competition with more plentiful bird species including the introduced Rose-ringed Parakeet; the Mauritius Parakeet seemed doomed to extinction. But with the team of Carl Jones (of Mauritius Kestrel
and Last Chance to See
fame) taking over, a dedicated research and conservation effort was launched to save the birds. By the late 1980s, the situation had at stabilized - though at a precariously low level - and more young birds were being hatched. By the mid-1990s, some 50-60 individuals were known altogether (including young birds) and an intensive management of the wild population by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
could begin. These efforts paid off handsomely; by January 2000, the population had exceeded 100 birds total. Since then, the rapid recovery has continued. The total wild population is presently some 280-300 individuals of which some 200 are adult, half of which being breeding pairs and most of the other half single males. A captive fall-back population is held at the Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary
.
. The goal for the near future is to have a stable population of 300 mature birds in the wild by 2010, and it is most likely that this will be achieved. At present, not all remaining and reconstituted habitat
is utilized by the birds, so that the population will continue to expand in the near future. It is still threatened by unforeseeable events like tropical cyclone
s and psittacine beak and feather disease
, the impact of which is at present unknown, and of course the threats which had brought it to near-extinction only some two decades ago continue to hamper its recovery.
Psittacula
Members of the parrot genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian Ringnecked parakeets as they are commonly known in aviculture originates found from Africa to South-East Asia. It is a widespread group, with a clear concentration of species in south Asia, but also with representatives in Africa and the islands...
species which inhabited the southern Indian ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
islands near Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. Its local name is katover.
Taxonomy
Its scientific name change from Psittacula echo had recently found widespread approval. A wealth of circumstantial evidence nowadays suggests that the hypothesized Réunion ParakeetRéunion Parakeet
The Réunion Parakeet was a little-known and extinct subspecies, sometimes considered a full species, of parakeet which used to inhabit Réunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. It is only known from descriptions, as well as illustrations of which it is unknown whether they were drawn from live...
(described earlier as Psittacula eques, based on a painting and hearsay reports) did indeed exist. The Réunion
Réunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
birds were the closest relatives, and presumably conspecific, with the Mauritius ones.
On the other hand, a recent review argued to maintain species status for the time being. A study skin had been discovered at the Royal Museum of Scotland, explicitly referencing a book description of the Réunion birds. This may be the only material proof of these birds' existence, or be from Mauritius. Even in that case, ancient DNA
Ancient DNA
Ancient DNA is DNA isolated from ancient specimens. It can be also loosely described as any DNA recovered from biological samples that have not been preserved specifically for later DNA analyses...
analysis of this specimen will give new insight into these questions, because very little data exists on the genetic diversity of the Mauritius Parakeet in former times.
In any case, the Réunion and Mauritius birds certainly formed a clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
. Until the new DNA data is available - and even then only if it would show a significant difference -, it is really a matter of opinion whether one follows a lumper or a splitter
Lumpers and splitters
Lumping and splitting refers to a well-known problem in any discipline which has to place individual examples into rigorously defined categories. The lumper/splitter problem occurs when there is the need to create classifications and assign examples to them, for example schools of literature,...
approach.
Description
It is generally similar to the Rose-ringed ParakeetRose-ringed Parakeet
The Rose-ringed Parakeet , also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range. Since the trend of the population appears to be increasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.Rose-ringed parakeets are...
—its closest living relative—except that the Mascarenes bird is a stockier species with a markedly shorter tail and a more intensive emerald green. The females lack the neck collar, and notably possess an all-black beak, unlike the males which have a red upper beak. The latter feature is notably absent in the Rose-ringed Parakeet as well as the Alexandrine Parakeet
Alexandrine Parakeet
The Alexandrine Parakeet or Alexandrian Parrot is a member of the psittaciformes order and of the psittacines family...
, which is also generally similar and not too distantly related. However, it is found in the Red-breasted Parakeet
Red-breasted Parakeet
The Red-breasted parakeet, Psittacula alexandri, is among the more widespread species of the genus and is the species which has the most geographical variations. It is easily identified by the large reddish patch on its breast. An alternative name is the Moustached Parakeet depending on subspecies...
, the Derbyan Parakeet
Derbyan Parakeet
The Lord Derby's Parakeet , also known as Derbyan Parakeet, is a monotypic parrot species, which is confined to small pocket of moist evergreen forest in the hills of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh and the Chinese province on its border. The species suffers from poaching for the illegal...
and the Nicobar Parakeet
Nicobar Parakeet
The Nicobar Parakeet, Psittacula caniceps also known as Blyth's Parakeet is a parrot confined to the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean. At 60 cm, it is the largest of the "true parakeets" in terms of length....
which are morphologically dissimilar and apparently very closely related among each other, though not to the Mauritius Parakeet or its immediate relatives.
Decline to near-extinction and recovery
The Mauritius Parakeet is one of the most remarkable successes of conservation biologyConservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
. In the early 1980s, this parakeet was almost extinct. The roughly 10 birds that were left had hardly ever bred successfully since some 10 years before for the lack of suitable trees, nest predation, disturbance by humans and feral pigs and deer, and competition with more plentiful bird species including the introduced Rose-ringed Parakeet; the Mauritius Parakeet seemed doomed to extinction. But with the team of Carl Jones (of Mauritius Kestrel
Mauritius Kestrel
The Mauritius Kestrel is a bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines.It is the most distinct of the Indian Ocean kestrels...
and Last Chance to See
Last Chance to See
Last Chance to See is a 1989 BBC radio documentary series and its accompanying book, written and presented by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. In the series, Adams and Carwardine travel to various locations in the hope of encountering species on the brink of extinction...
fame) taking over, a dedicated research and conservation effort was launched to save the birds. By the late 1980s, the situation had at stabilized - though at a precariously low level - and more young birds were being hatched. By the mid-1990s, some 50-60 individuals were known altogether (including young birds) and an intensive management of the wild population by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit conservation agency working in Mauritius to save threatened endemic local flora and fauna....
could begin. These efforts paid off handsomely; by January 2000, the population had exceeded 100 birds total. Since then, the rapid recovery has continued. The total wild population is presently some 280-300 individuals of which some 200 are adult, half of which being breeding pairs and most of the other half single males. A captive fall-back population is held at the Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary
Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary
The Gerald Durrell Endemic Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary founded in 1984, in Western Mauritius. It is an area closed off to the public, in the Black River Gorge region, which is densely forested, and is used for breeding rare, endemic Mauritian species. Even though it is not open to the...
.
2007 downlisting to Endangered status
Recognizing that the Mauritius Parakeet was not acutely threatened with extinction anymore but "merely" very rare, it is downlisted from Critically Endangered to Endangered in the 2007 IUCN Red ListIUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
. The goal for the near future is to have a stable population of 300 mature birds in the wild by 2010, and it is most likely that this will be achieved. At present, not all remaining and reconstituted habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is utilized by the birds, so that the population will continue to expand in the near future. It is still threatened by unforeseeable events like tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
s and psittacine beak and feather disease
Psittacine beak and feather disease
Psittacine beak and feather disease is a viral disease affecting all Old World and New World Parrots . The virus belongs to the family Circoviridae. The virus attacks the feather follicles and the beak and claws-growing cells of the bird, causing progressive feather malformation and necrosis...
, the impact of which is at present unknown, and of course the threats which had brought it to near-extinction only some two decades ago continue to hamper its recovery.
External links
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles
- Brief synopsis and photo. Retrieved 2007-AUG-28.
- Detailed description of the recovery effort with many photos. Retrieved 2007-AUG-28.