Parrot, because of a strange move, saved the whole family!

Interesting Owl-faced Parrot

Parrot is the collective name for all birds under the family Psittacidae. Compared with other birds, birds under this family have basically In addition to the gorgeous feathers, the body size is also very different. The smallest brown-faced dwarf parrot has an average body length of only 8 centimeters, while the largest purple-blue macaw can reach 1 meter in length.

Parrots also have beaks with grooves and wax films, as well as thick tongues. In addition, parrots have relatively short and thick feet, with pairs of toes suitable for climbing. Climbing bird.

However, the Owl-faced Parrot is a little different. Compared with other parrots, it not only has an owl-like face, but its feathers are not too gorgeous. Its whole body is covered with yellow-green spots. It looks a bit unattractive, and The Owl-faced Parrot is also one of the largest parrots in existence. Their body length can reach 60 centimeters and their weight averages 3 kilograms.

Most parrots are diurnal birds, but owl-faced parrots are also a little different. They like to stay in the day and come out at night. This is not because they have night vision like owls, but because It has two magic weapons for foraging at night:

The first is its face. The main reason why the face of the owl-faced parrot looks like an owl is that they have many feathers on their faces. These feathers It must have a strong sense of perception. When walking on the ground at night, its feathers can feel the ground conditions.

The second is its sense of smell. The Owl-faced Parrot has two large nostrils, which are filled with olfactory receptor nerves. It can accurately collect odor particles in the air, and then determine the location and location of the odor particles. Source, it relies on these two organs to forage in the dark.

In addition to its strange habits, the owl-faced parrot is also the only flightless bird in existence. Although their wings have not degraded, they are no longer enough to propel its huge body to fly. In fact, the ancestors of the Owl-faced Parrot can fly just like other parrots. However, when their ancestors came to the island of New Zealand, due to the lack of competitors and predators, they ate more and more fat, and eventually they could no longer fly. Get up.

At the same time, the Owl-faced Parrot is the only polygamous parrot. During the breeding season, the females will gather together, and the hormones they emit will be captured by the males with a keen sense of smell. As a result, a The battle for spouse begins.

Unlike most birds that use calls to attract the opposite sex, male owl-faced parrots compete for breeding rights by performing their own performances, including spreading their wings, spinning in circles, etc. The longer the performance, the winner The greater the chance, the winner will own all the females, and the loser will leave. This courtship mode is called courtship mating mode.

However, although the male has "three wives and four concubines", once the breeding season is over, he returns to a "single" life again, because male owl-faced parrots have no habit of caring for and incubating their offspring.

"Stupid" yourself into a critically endangered owl-faced parrot?

Among the existing parrots, the most endangered one is the owl-faced parrot. As early as 1995, there were only about 51 of them left in the world, and they were only one step away from extinction. Because the owl-faced parrot Parrots cannot fly, move relatively slowly, and do not know how to avoid people when they encounter them. Therefore, some people say that they have become a critically endangered species because of their own "stupidity".

But in fact, the extreme endangerment of the Owl-faced Parrots has little to do with them, because as we said above, the reason why Owl-faced Parrots cannot fly is because they settled on islands where there is no threat from natural enemies. It gradually loses its ability to fly, and the owl-faced parrot likes to live in dense forests. The yellow-green spots on its body can almost blend in with the environment, forming a good camouflage color.

Coupled with the nocturnal life of owl-faced parrots and their strong ability to climb trees, this allows them to survive in their native environment more safely.

The real reason why they are extremely endangered is actually caused by people. To be precise, it is caused by animals brought by people. About 1,000 years ago, Polynesians first discovered and landed in New Zealand. When they discovered this After planting a large flightless bird that is completely unwary of humans, it is first hunted as food.

During the process of plucking, people found that its feathers were very soft, so it was hunted because its feathers could be made into more luxurious clothing and decorations, but this was not the main factor.

In the 1840s, Europeans began to land in New Zealand one after another and turned it into a colony. Along with the Europeans, black rats, domestic cats and stoats entered, and this really started The owl-faced parrot's nightmare.

Since Owl-faced Parrots usually lay eggs in lush vegetation on the ground or in tree holes, and the female incubates the eggs alone, this gives black rats the opportunity to steal the eggs. Domestic cats and stoats are both nocturnal predators, and they also set their sights on this large flightless bird. By the mid-20th century, there were less than 50 Owl-faced Parrots left.

Although the local government realized that the survival status of this bird was worrying and took certain conservation measures, by 1995, the number had only recovered to 51. It can be seen that the conservation at that time was only for protection. For the Lord, we have not yet entered into real conservation.

It was not until the end of the 20th century that zoologist Mark Carwardine came to New Zealand to observe this rare bird, and the owl-faced parrot was truly saved, and this rescue was "spontaneous".

"Weird" behavior saves the whole family

When zoologist Mark Carwardine came here, it happened to be the breeding season of the owl-faced parrot. Mark observed a bird named When Sirocco got his kakapo, an accident happened. Sirocco was in estrus and had not found a suitable mate, so when he saw Mark squatting on the ground, Sirocco jumped directly on his head and rocked his body back and forth. Mating posture.

This scene was also photographed by Mark, and was eventually included and broadcast in the BBC animal documentary "Last Look". After the program was broadcast, the owl-faced parrot really attracted the attention of most people.

Since the show was broadcast, more and more zoologists have come to New Zealand, and the New Zealand Department of Conservation has officially begun scientific efforts to save the Owl-faced Parrot. By 2018, there were only less than two In ten years, the number of Owl-faced Parrots has reached 154, three times more than before conservation.

Two years later, in 2020, the number of Owl-faced Parrots exceeded 200 and reached 211. Although it is still an extremely endangered species, with active conservation, their number is increasing. With a steady increase, we will see more cute owl-faced parrots in the future.

Finally

The Owl-faced Parrot is the rarest parrot in the world and one of the rarest birds. They originally had a large population and a safe and prosperous living environment, but When humans continued to come to their habitat, everything changed. From non-threatening to extremely endangered, it only took more than a hundred years.

Fortunately, a "hungry" owl-faced parrot made a strange move, which really attracted attention and finally saved the whole family.