ParrotScience.com

Gang Gang cockatoo hit by car, stuck in grill, and lives!

cooper — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:51:31 +0000

Cockatoo stuck after high-speed collision

A gang-gang cockatoo has been hailed as the “luckiest bird alive” after it collided and got stuck on a car travelling at 80km/h and escaped serious injury.

The bird slammed into the front of Caroline Brown’s sedan yesterday afternoon at Berwick, in Melbourne’s south-east.

Ms Brown was amazed to find the red-crested gang-gang trapped but still alive near the air intake, its wings and head poking out.

Read full story at Ninemsn.com.au

Alex the African Grey - passed Away September 7th, 2007

cooper — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:26:46 +0000

Alex the African Grey of Irene Pepperberg and subject of numerous experiments on animal intelligence has passed away on September 7th, cause is currently unknown. Alex was reported to be in fine health a few days prior.

German to stand trial for killing endangered bird in Dominica

cooper — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 03:13:27 +0000

A German national is due to return to a Dominican court on Monday charged with killing a Sisserou Parrot, one of the island’s endangered national birds.

Read the full story at RadioJamaica.com

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill Becomes Official

cooper — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 03:08:51 +0000

If you’ve seen the movie (or read the book), you will be pleased to learn that the city of San Francisco has assumed responsibility for the trees around Telegraph Hill to ensure the parrots will continue to live there.

Read the full story at SignOnSanDiego.com

Demand for parrots in U.S. increases rate of poaching in Mexico

cooper — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 20:00:35 +0000

Up to 78,000 parrots are poached annually in Mexico for shipment to the pet trade industry in the United States. 75% of these birds die before making it to market. This type of poaching puts unreasonable pressure on an already declining population.

“Clearly this is not a sustainable market. Smuggling of certain endangered parrots, such as the yellow headed parrot and the yellow naped parrot, into the United States is increasing, and this demand is pushing already depleted parrot populations in Mexico to the brink of extinction,” says Juan Carlos Cantu Guzman, manager of the Mexico program at Defenders of Wildlife and lead author of the report. “Birds are being taken from the wild, sometimes plucked right out of the nest, and dying at alarming rates for sale in the pet trade. Next to habitat loss, parrot trapping posses the greatest threat to the birds’ survival in Mexico.”

Read the full report at CommonDreams.org

San Francisco moves to preserve Telegraph hill For parrots

cooper — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:00:08 +0000

Telegraph Hill is one step closer to protection. In a move by San Francisco council, property owners will be protected if their properties are damaged by the large trees falling. This is expected to pass next month.

Read the full story at KESQ NewsChannel 3

Parrot survives 240 volt electric shock strong enough to kill a man

cooper — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:29:37 +0000

A FOUL-MOUTHED parrot called Mad Max survived an electric shock powerful enough to kill a human after he chewed through a power cable.

The barmy bird was zapped by 240 volts after gnawing the lead which powers his owner James White’s personal computer.

The early morning explosion blasted African Grey Max’s feathers across the room, leaving him bald.

Read the full news story at The Sunday Mail

Big flap over new parrot photos

cooper — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:13:04 +0000

THE State Government has halted investigations into claims a north Queensland man found a new parrot species and its official ornithologist has stopped work on a scientific paper about the bird.

Ingham-based cinematographer and wildlife consultant John Young said the huge flap over the so-called blue-fronted fig parrot had turned his life into a nightmare.

Allegations quickly surfaced that his photographs of the bird, unveiled to a stunned bird-watching community last November, were faked.

Read the full story at news.com.au