Orange-fronted Parakeet
Cyanoramphus malherbi
The Orange-fronted Parakeet is also known as the Orange-fronted Kakariki or Malherbe’s Parakeet.
Half way through October 2009, I was lucky enough to get some shots of the Orange-fronted parakeet, Cyanoramphus malherbi. This was due to some very helpful and friendly people from the South Island.
This species is highly endangered and can only be found in three valleys in Canterbury on the South Island of New Zealand. The valleys are Hawdon and Poulter Valleys in Arthurs Pass National Park and Hurunui Valley in Lake Sumner Forest Park. Current estimates have the population of these birds at between only two and four hundred. Known nesting sites in this area are monitored and protected by the department of conservation (DoC). The tree trunks are wrapped with tin to stop predators climbing up to the nests and there are traps set at the bases of these sites.
The DoC initiated a captive breeding programme beginning in 2003 when eggs and chicks were brought in from the wild population in Canterbury to be hand-reared. Fostering under yellow and red-fronted parakeets was also done. These birds and their progeny were held at Isaac Wildlife Trust. There are currently two captive populations, one on each of New Zealand’s main islands. They are Mt Bruce Wildlife Park on the North Island and Isaac Wildlife Trust on the South Island.
The department of conservation, (DoC), has released some captive bred birds on Chalky Island and Maud Island which are predator free islands. All of these birds came from the Isaac Wildlife Trust.
The Chalky island population was made up of 45 birds which comprised 19 cocks, 23 hens and 3 unsexed birds. The birds were released in three stages. The first group was released on December 14, 2005 the second was released on February 21, 2006 and the third on January 11, 2007. The numbers released were 16, 15 and 14 respectively. All the birds were rung with leg bands and were identifiable.
The birds released in the first group started to breed within the first two months of their new wild life on the island and since then, many sightings of bandless birds have occurred there. These bandless birds being the progeny of their released parents.
The Maud Island population was made up of 68 birds (33 cocks and 35 hens). These birds were also given leg rings. They were released between March 7, 2007 and May 14, 2009 over eight separately timed releases. These birds also started to breed within two months of being released.
The DoC monitors both populations during November every year and many sightings have occurred, on both islands, of bandless (wild-bred) youngsters.
As you can see, the DoC has had some success in propagating this highly endangered species, and one can only say that it has been just in the nick of time
More birds are to be moved to a third predator free island in January of 2010. This is Tuhua Island (previously Mayor Island), which is north of Tauranga on the east coast of the North Island. As well as this, the DoC plans to release more birds to these islands in future years with a view to increase blood lines for a greater gene pool.
These birds were classified as a species in 1857, but some people have in the past referred to them as a colour morph of the yellow fronted parakeet, Cyanoramphus auriceps. In 2001 there was DNA research done confirming that they are in fact a separate species. Actually they are more closely related to the Antipodes Island Parakeet Cyanoramphus unicolour.
As an observation, there is an orange patch on the sides of the lower back in this species whereas in both the red and yellow fronteds, the colouring here is red. This fact alone is an indication to their being a separate species. Also, the green colouration of these birds is a different shade to that of the red or yellow crowned birds. I find it hard to describe this difference, the best I can offer is to refer to the accompanying photos.
The crown colour is the obvious way to discern between these and other Kakariki species, with the crown being yellow but with a very discernable orange band over the cere immediately beneath the yellow crown. In the Yellow-fronted, this band is red, and in the Red-fronted, the entire crown is red with no visible band of a different colour. Also on the Red-fronted, the red colouration extends behind the eye.
The Orange-fronted Parakeet is slightly smaller than the yellow fronted parakeet which is smaller again than the Red-fronted. Yellow and red fronted parakeets are very willing breeders in captive situations and can even be colony bred. I would have thought that the orange fronted would be just as willing, however, according to the keepers, they are more difficult to breed than their cousins. Having said that, the birds in captivity have had as many as three clutches per season, with anywhere between four to eight eggs comprising the clutch. Those are results that anyone would be proud of.
These captive birds have been housed in colonies for the purpose of natural mate selection as some previously paired up birds seemed incompatible. They can be also be colony bred like their cousins, however, the cocks will and do fight each other and there have been mortalities within the male captive population. This could possibly be overcome with a few standard avicultural techniques such as having more available hens than cocks within the colony, and supplying a minimum of three nestboxes per pair to avoid competition for these.
It is my personal opinion that with certain requirements on aviary dimensions, environment, etc… placed on aviculturists, we could give a great helping hand in the propagation of this species if allowed.
In the wild the clutches can number as many as ten eggs.
It is said that they require fully planted aviaries, and generally more natural surroundings and that is certainly how the birds that I saw were housed.
I spent a few hours inside the aviaries at the facility where I photographed these parrots, so was able to witness their behavior. The first two aviaries were hexagonal, quite large and very open. The diameter is about 12 metres and the roof is around 5 metres high.
They are fully planted with New Zealand native trees, one half of the top was roofed, but the walls were all open wire mesh. There is a feeding station on which I noticed a dish of dry bird seed, various fruits, some soaked seeds and a small amount of a crumbed mixture that had been prepared for them. The keepers also placed pieces of fruit in various locations on the trees within the aviary. I assume that this is to train their foraging instincts.
There are three more aviaries that are a little more conventional. These aviaries are rectangular, only about 3 metres high but also very large, with shelters at the end. These are also planted with native trees, and the feed given is the same here as in the others. I watched the cock bird feeding his hen in one of these aviaries, and this bird came to pose as his eyes were dilating as seen in one of the photos in this article. Unfortunately, I was too slow to photograph him feeding her.
The most interesting point for me was that in all the time I was watching them, they only came to the feed station a couple of times and not once did I see them attempt to eat any of the dry seed mix. I did witness them sampling fruit from around the aviary, but most of the time they were actually eating leaves and flowers from the trees within the aviary, particularly Kowhai (Sophora microphylla) and Pittosporum (from the Pittosporaceae family) flowers, and leaves from most of the trees.
To me, this is exactly what they will do in the wild and they appear to have all of their natural instincts. It seems that the keepers have wisely trained them for their release back into the wild.
In the wild they eat whatever fruits, seeds, flowers, buds and shoots they can find or are available and also take insects. In the years that Beech trees produce their fruit, which is not every year, the seeds become the main component of their diet, and these years are great breeding years.
Unfortunately, they are also great breeding years for the introduced predators such as rats and stoats as well, therefore many hens and chicks become fatalities due to the high number of these predators. Due to the high level of protection that they are now afforded, hopefully, these little gems have a bright future ahead.
I just discovered today that the 2nd picture in this article was used as the cover photo for the April 2010 edition of the German based parrot magazine Papageien! The above article was also translated into German and published in the same issue. My first ever cover shot! I may just celebrate tonight.
Now also published in Australian Birdkeeper in English. Awesome. It can be found in edition 23-4.