Ognorhynchus

[jsf]

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Espèce très rare à  l'espèce de nichage très réduit.
Futur incertain.

* Project History
    * Habitat
    * Behavior
    * Conservation
    * Supporters
    * Related sites

Project History
   

The Yellow-Eared Conure (Ognorhynchus icterotis) is a large, macaw-sized South American conure. It is highly gregarious, nomadic and strongly dependent on wax palms (Ceroxylon quindiuense). In the early 1900's, this magnificent large brilliant green and yellow conure was abundant across the High Andes of Columbia and northern Ecuador. However, by the 1980's it was clear the species' population was catastrophically declining as large flocks
started disappearing at an alarming rate.In the mid-1990's, the species had mysteriously vanished with only two flocks numbering less than 50 individuals known to survive.

In response to the increasing grave situation of the species, Niels Krabbe launched a conservation project for the last known flock in Ecuador in 1996. This project was successful in locating the species for short periods in northwest Ecuador and conservation activities were enacted. Unfortunately, the species nomadic movements in the region prevented any detailed information of the species' biology and ecology from being collected. The last sighting in Ecuador of the Yellow-Eared conure was of a pair in September 1998, despite continuing searches for it. The species chances of survival in Ecuador seem to be rapidly diminishing and it is most likely extinct in this area.

Paul Salaman observed a flock of 24 Yellow-Eared Conures in Central Colombia in October 1997. Early the next year Salaman and Krabbe formed the Proyecto Ognorhynchus with the support of several organizations. The project was an emergency response to study and protect the species in Colombia. Fieldwork started in June 1998 with the goal to locate the species for study to assess threats and formulate a conservation strategy.

The team focused on the species historical geographic range in the central Andes with searches and a poster campaign. The poster campaign worked with the regional environmental government bodies to ask local people to report any sightings of the species. After eleven months of field work and more than 3,500 field hours accumulated, the search for the Yellow-Eared conure in the largest surviving wax palm remnants in the Colombian Andes proved fruitless. Despite promising reports by the local people, the species seemed to have abandoned the historical stronghold. Survival of the Yellow-Eared Conure looked increasingly bleak in Colombia.

The search was about to end when a Colombian who had seen a campaign poster reported seeing the species. The project fieldworker investigated the claim that originated from a remote valley of central Colombia. Wandering through glades of majestic wax palms late in the afternoon of April 18, 1999, the worker heard the faint but distinctive screams of parrots. Descending from the clouds, two flocks of Yellow-Eared Conures swooped down in tightly synchronized barrel rolls into palm-studded pastures. After almost a year of unsuccessful searches, the project had discovered 61 Yellow-Eared Conures. The parrots, oblivious to the significance of the moment, alighted in the towering wax palms overhead and clambered down the fronds in chattering masses to gorge on bundles of ripening thumb-sized palm fruit.

Within a week of rediscovering the two flocks, an additional flock was located roosting in an adjacent secluded valley. Occasionally all 81 individuals would gather to socialize before roosting for the night in the palms. Over the coming months a wealth of incredible information on the parrots ecology and natural history was gathered from round-the-clock observations. Later radio transmitters were attached to individual birds, providing extensive information of flock locations and movements over a lengthy period.

Future plans for the project include additional field study, conservation efforts and education of the local communities. The Proyecto Ognorhynchus also will benefit several other species of animals, including three other endangered birds - the Golden-Plumed Conure (Leptosittaca branickii), Rufous-Fronted Parakeet (Bolborhynchus ferruginefrons) and Rusty-Faced Parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi). Observations and notes on these species will be collected during the field studies of the Yellow-Eared Conure.

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Habitat
   

The habitat of the Yellow-Eared Conure is thehigh Andes Mountains of Colombia and Ecuador. This bird is heavily dependent upon the wax palm (Ceroxylum quindiuense) for food and nesting.

Columbia is a nation of rich biological diversity. It has 1,850 species of birds, 358 kinds of mammals and more than 45,000 types of plants. However, the precious ecosystem of the Andes Mountains and adjacent valleys is in grave danger. Most of this is due to deforestation.
Over the past 150 years, 80 percent of the woodlands have been cleared for farming and cattle ranching. This loss of habitat in part has caused 80 of Colombia's native birds to become in danger of extinction. Other animals and plants also are endangered. Perhaps less than 5% of the Yellow-Eared Conure's natural habitat remains today. And even much of this habitat has seen some form of human activities.

The endangered wax palm is Columbia's national tree. The populations of this tree are aging and not being replaced with younger palms. The livestock feeding in the pastures eat the palm seedlings, thus preventing their growth and natural replacement of the forest. Continued deforestation and fragmentation of the wax palms leaves them highly susceptible to disease.

The need for conservation of this unique habitat is immediate and critical.

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Behavior
   The Yellow-Eared Conure is gregarious, travelling and roosting in flocks. It is nomadic and mobile, often travelling to favored locations at the same times each season.

Nests are located near the roosts of the larger flock. The adult breeding birds become very vocal in the evenings as if to strongly encourage the larger flocks to roost and stay near by. This cooperation between non-breeding and breeding birds is clearly beneficial to the nesting pair in warning against possible
predators. One of the most unique behaviors of the Yellow-Eared Conure is the assistance of a third adult bird with parental duties. The fieldworkers have observed these helper birds assist the breeding parents feed and care for the chicks. Cooperative breeding assistants have only been observed in one other parrot (psittacidae) family - the Australasia fig parrotlets.

The non-breeding flocks normally roost in three to five palms that are located close together. The birds move along the palm fronds towards the "heart" of the palm (the frond base) where they sleep. Pairs can be seen sleeping side-by-side and non-paired individuals are situated further apart and on different fronds.

The flock departs the roost site early in the mornings to forage for food at higher elevations until returning to the roost area later in the afternoon. Breeding pairs leave to forage with the flock early but will make two to three additional trips during the day to feed chicks. Radio transmitters attached to individual birds have assisted researchers to study the movements of the birds and their foraging areas.

Fieldworkers have observed the Yellow-Eared Conure eating the fruit, bark, flowers and shoots of various trees. The wax palm is the most preferred of the trees. Local people sometimes think that the birds feed on maize, but the farmers who grow maize only identify the Bronze-winged Pionus (Pionous chalcopterus) as feeding on the crop.

The Yellow-Eared Conure is accustomed to seeing humans nearby. The bird can be particularly stubborn about staying in an area even when humans are becoming more numerous. Fieldworkers observed persecution at a roost in Ecuador in which the parrots continued to use the same palm until it fell and then they simply moved to the next palm over rather than leave the area. This behavior makes the Yellow-Eared Conure an easy target for hunters who highly prize its meat in soups.

Much has been gained from the study of the Yellow-Eared Conure in the past two years, however, this is only the beginning of learning about this species. The Proyecto Ognorhynchus team plans to continue observing flocks, breeding pairs and nesting sites for additional insight that can help formulate a conservation strategy.

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Conservation
   
The key to conservation is getting the local community involved and committed to the goal of saving the species. This strategy has been successfully used in many other conservation projects and is considered vital to the success of the survival of the Yellow-Eared Conure.

Fieldworkers have continually worked with the community to gather facts about the bird known locally as the "Guacamaya". The local people are familiar with the bird and believe that it is good luck to touch the wings of the bird as it flies by (which is possible
according to the fieldworkers). Interviews with the campesinoshave provided valuable information about the Yellow-Eared Conure's habits, location and movements.

Colombia's civil conflict has benefited the Yellow-Eared Conure and other endangered species in the area. The region is controlled by the FARC guerilla rebels who strictly prohibit hunting wildlife. The local people adhere to this rule. An education program will continue to help ensure that the local people abstain from hunting or robbing nests even if the guerilla are no longer in control.

An education campaign is raising the awareness of local people who normally would not notice the Yellow-Eared Conure other than to admire its attractive plumage. This campaign includes talks as well as the distribution of posters and T-shirts. The campaign is considered to be highly successful. In fact, a keen observer who saw the Loro Orejiamarillo poster reported the seeing the Yellow-Eared Conure and led the Proyecto Ognorhynchus workers to the current flock of birds. Without this report, the fieldworkers might not have ever found the Yellow-Eared Conure.

The education program will continue to keep the community involved in saving the species. This plan includes presentations in schools and public meetings; one-day workshops to involve the community in project conservation efforts; posters; T-shirts; and advertising a parrot conservation message on local radio and TV. These local programs will continue to be an integral part of the conservation strategy.

Field research of the species will continue in order to study the breeding biology and behavior; population movements; habitat and diet preferences; and developing an ecological map. Artificial nests will be introduced to see if the Yellow-Eared Conure will accept them, especially in areas where nesting sites are limited. Salt and mineral supplements will be placed in a low tree in the roost site as a possible method of attracting flocks. All of the data gathered from field research will be used to develop long-term conservation strategies.

Proyecto Ognorhynchus also has goals to purchase land in order to secure and guard small areas of palms that are consistently used for nesting and roosting. The decision for purchasing land hinges upon the Yellow-Eared Conure remaining in the area year-round. If land is purchased, it can be managed specifically for the benefit of the species.

Another goal is to promote a Land Stewardship and Reforestation program. This plan would encourage landowners to voluntarily set aside steep slopes and wetland areas for reforestation. The volunteer landowners would be provided with fencing materials and plants with the understanding the area could not be converted to pasture for 20 years.

Résumé:

The Yellow-Eared Conure (Ognorhynchus icterotis) may be one of the most endangered parrots in the world. This large, macaw-sized South American parakeet once was numerous and commonly seen in the high Andes mountains of Ecuador and Colombia. However, due to habitat destruction and being hunted for food, the Yellow-Eared Conure now is on the brink of extinction.

A small population of 110 birds is clinging to existence in a remote, unprotected area of Colombia. Many bird species are threatened due to pressures of trapping for the pet trade, but this is not the case with the Yellow-Eared Conure. In fact, it is essentially not kept in captivity and no successful breeding has ever been achieved in captivity. This very fact makes it the parrot most threatened with extinction in the Americas. If it cannot survive in the wild state, it will disappear from the planet forever.  The Yellow-Eared Conure is listed as "Critically Endangered" and appears in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

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[Dies]

c'est ca que j'aime sur ce forum, c'est qu'on apprend plein de trucs et qu'on voit plein de trucs tout les jours !

special bisous a JSF ;)

[zebulon]

Slt,
Bien JSF me doutait qu'elle faisait partie des conures, bien que magnifique, ce que je leur reproche c'est leurs cris !!

[jsf]

xptdrrrrrrrrrrrrr il n'y en a aucune en captivité, sauf au loro et dans collec privés je crois et toi tu me parles de cris !  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[zebulon]

xptdrrrrrrrrrrrrr il n'y en a aucune en captivité, sauf au loro et dans collec privés je crois et toi tu me parles de cris !  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

qui te dit qui en a aucune en captivité ? t'as vérifié les maisons des passionnés une par une ? et crois moi je sais de quoi je parle de plus les conures sont toutes de nature très criarde !!

[jsf]

Car il n'y a eu aucune repros d'archivés.
Puis il y en a surement, mais c'est aussi rare que les spixs, ou presque.
Et crois moi que sur le coup je suis mieux renseigné sur les cris des conures que tu ne l'es  :lol:

[zebulon]

ben si t'étais si renseigné t'en aurais pas adopter lol

[jsf]

jandaya, patagonie, tête bleue... mais pas de celles-là   :lol: