The Western Ground Parrot - On the Brink

One of the rarest of species

There are very few species of bird in Australia, in fact in the world, whose population numbers less than 150 individuals. Species falling into such an extreme category are generally destined for extinction. Unfortunately, one of these birds is the Western Ground Parrot (Pezoporus flaviventris), and it's fate will be decided by us.

The long road home

Bringing back a species from the brink is no easy task. For this amazing parrot, what is needed will take money, luck, and countless hours of hard work by recovery teams and volunteers (visit the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot). Already, individuals have been captured for captive breeding, with strong hopes that their offspring will be released into the wild. Before this can happen though, their threats must be eliminated

Introduced predators - the death of Australian fauna

Foxes, cats, rabbits, goats, cane toads, carp, the list is endless. Introduced animals have had a massive negative impact on Australian wildlife, including the Western Ground Parrot. Along the southern coastline of Western Australia, foxes and cats threaten the parrots existence. Targeted poison baiting for foxes has brought down fox numbers, but feral (wild) cats have now taken over, possibly the primary threat to the parrots. It is essential that cat numbers are controlled if Western Ground Parrots are ever to be re-established throughout their former range. Fortunately, trials using a cat-specific bait have produced encouraging results.

Our contribution to its survival

Jaime and I recently helped to survey for the Western Ground Parrot in Cape Arid National Park, the species' last stronghold (to read about our trip to see them, visit Bird-o. It is thought around 100 individuals live in the reserve, with probably no more than 10 ground parrots living outside of it. We listened for calling birds at dawn at dusk, to find out where they were occurring within the National Park. The habitat throughout most of the area seems ideal for the Western Ground Parrot, but we only found the birds in one location.

With the aid of captive breeding, and the control of introduced predators, we can be optimistic we will one day hear their beautiful rising calls in places they no longer occur.

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