Rearing Pesquet's Parrots at Loro Parque

Abstract

During the two years I looked after the birds at Loro Parque, Tenerife, one of my aims was to rear as many species as possible that were not well established in aviculture, and to obtain and publish data that would assist others in the reproduction. In this period, 96 species (plus a number of sub-species) were hatched and reared there, plus an additional three in my own collection which were kept on the premises. Of these 99, three species were especially dear and important to me. The young (hand-reared and parent-reared) gave me immense pleasure. They were Blue-throated (Caninde) Macaws (Ara glaucogularis), Moluccan Cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis) and Pesquer's Parrot. Alas, all three are threatened by man's activities and are now on Appendix 1 of CITES.

Pesquet 's Parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) is not - yet - but is an almost certain candidate. It is the least known and most rarely-bred of the three in captivity. A spectacular, large parrot with scarlet and black plumage, once seen it can never be forgotten. Its colour scheme and unusually shaped head and beak make it one of the most distinctive parrots in existence. There are rare exceptions, but adult birds can normally be sexed by the presence, in the male, of a small patch of red feathers behind the eye. All immature birds show this characteristic. Admittedly, sexual dimorphism is slight - but in no other parrot species in which the immature bird has been described, does it resemble the male, rather than the female. But this species has a number of unusual characteristics and, no doubt, others will be revealed when we know more about its biology.

It is a highly specialized parrot, adapted to feed on the pulp of fruits only. The lower mandible (thus, of course, also the upper) is elongated, no doubt, to form a scoop with which to remove the fruit pulp. The side of the face and the forehead are covered in hair-like feathers. If these areas were normally feathered, they would become matted with particles of fruit. This feature is reflected in the scientific name: trichas which means hair. Length of this species is about 20 in. (50 cm) and its weight is about 900 grams.

In February 1987 when I took my position in Loro Parque, this species was represented by an adult pair and a young male reared in the previous year, the latter on exhibit. Delightfu 11 y tame and inquisitive, he attracted the attention of many visitors. He was very playful and his regular keeper was entertained by his antics with the rake (the floor was of sand) during the daily cleaning session. During any repair or alteration, it eventually became necessary to shut this male in a cage because he became so involved in "helping" that it was difficult to carry out the work! Strangely enough, he did not like the keeper who worked the days off of the regular keeper. I give these anecdotes to show how responsive tame birds are towards people.

Accommodation

His parents were housed in an aviary in the original breeding centre (off-exhibit). Their aviary measured approximately 24 ft. (7 .2 m) long, 8 ft. (2.4 m) wide and 8 ft. (2.4 m) high. The situation was fairly enclosed; the lack of light in the aviary did not permit photography except with flash, which I dislike using, thus I have no illustrations of aviary or nest site.

Diet

Food of the Pesquet's Parrots during my period at Loro Parque consisted of whole or half fruits spiked to nails on the perch: papaya, apple, pear and banana, also carrot, fed twice daily. Bread and milk was fed once daily. The protein requirements of this species appear not to be high, even when rearing young. At that time, however, I increased the protein slightly by adding a raw egg to the bread and milk. A favourite seasonal food, available for about five months of the year, was the fruit of the prickly pear cactus which grows abundantly on Tenerife.

Pesquet 's is one of the few parrots which will not eat seed under any circumstances. They do not recognise it as food.

Candidiasis can be a problem with this species. Regular fecal examination was carried out and the yeast Candida albicans was always present. No action is necessary unless the level is high. For this species, it is an easy matter to add Nystatin (Mycostatin, Squibb) suspension to liquidised fruits, bread and milk or an appropriate food that the birds are used to. This is preferable to the stress caused by catching.

The voice of the Pesquet's Parrot is loud, harsh, rasping - discordant to most ears (but music to those fond of the birds!).

The first recorded breeding occurred in a private collection in the Netherlands in 1977. It was subsequently bred on several occasions at the zoos in Los Angeles and San Diego, and more recently is being bred at the Bronx Zoo in New York. At Loro Parque, Tenerife, it was first reared in 1986; unfortunately, there are no available records for that year. Two chicks hatched in one nest and were removed for hand-rearing - but one died (Pickering, 1986), apparently from candidiasis.

On March 6, 1987, the pair at Loro Parque was provided with a new palm log, about six feet 8 inches (2 m) high. This was prepared by sawing it into two pieces, about 12 inches (30 cm) from the top. An indentation about six inches (15 cm) in diameter and six inches horizontally was made where the two sections joined. It needed three men to lift the log into position.

Initially there was no inspection door, so the date the first egg was laid was not known precisely. It did not occur until nearly seven months later, at the end of October or the beginning of November. Excavation of the nest, mainly by the male, had started very soon after it was installed, and extended over a period of seven months. The pair had to work very hard to make a cavity about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter and 40 inches (1 m) deep. The sides were smooth, as though machine-finished.

The floor below the nest would be littered with wood chips when excavation was in progress. These were carried out of the nest in the feathers, which would be ruffled to unload them. It was an interesting performance.

During my period at Loro Parque, the female always laid two eggs, only one of which was fertile. The chick, which hatched at the end of November 1987, was removed for handrearing on December 10, partly because nest inspection was difficult and partly because the rearing capabilities of the parents were unknown. It was difficult then to assess the age of the chick; it was probably about 12 days because the eyes were just slitting. In a parent-reared chick hatched the following year, the eyes opened at 14 days. The weight records showed that its age on removal from the nest was, therefore, 12 days.