Abstract
U.S. aviculturists have something today that they did not have a year ago: quantitative data that private aviculture in the United States is not only capable of but actually demonstrating the ability to meet an increasing portion of the pet industry's growing demand for captive-bred parrots of many species.
I am happy to report that the 1990 TRAFFIC USA Psittacine Captive Breeding Survey was a success. An unprecedented 1, 2 21 aviculturists from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and two foreign countries responded to the survey. Collectively, they provided census information on over 31,000 birds of 192 species and subspecies. Of these birds 22,518 - or 73% - were set up for breeding and produced 17,259 chicks in 1989.
Many aviculturists have expressed amazement at the number of respond en ts and birds recorded in the census, while others note that the results represent only a small fraction of the real size and scope of U.S. aviculture today. Whatever your opinion, it is important to understand the significance of these survey results and the far-reaching impact they have on the future of U.S. aviculture and the avicultural community throughout the world.
Why are the 1990 survey results significant? First of all, the results represent the first time such a large number of U.S. aviculturists have cooperated in a national survey on captive breeding. While the questionnaire results only provide an accurate profile of the aviculturists who responded to the survey, and the census results represent minimal figures on the number of species and number of individual birds in private aviculture today, it is still the most comprehensive information gathered to date on captive breeding of parrots by private aviculturists in the United States. With the one breeding season covered by the 1990 survey, we now have base-line figures on the number of birds and species present in U.S. collections.
Second, these results demonstrate that U.S. aviculturists are eager to participate in gathering much needed captive breeding information. We received many positive comments from respondents expressing their full support for the survey and their hope that surveys would continue in the future. The survey results also indicate that a new era in aviculture is emerging - an era in which an attitude of distrust and secrecy about sharing captive breeding information is being replaced with an understanding that cooperation to share captive breeding information is the only way to ensure the survival of both aviculture and the birds in captivity.
Although they represent only one breeding season and a relatively small number of aviculturists, the 1990
survey results do seem to accurately .----------------reflect several trends in aviculture
which until now could not be sub-
stantiated with quantitative infor-
mation.
Results of the questionnaire indicate that many private aviculturists in the United States use modern avicultural techniques such as permanent marking systems, surgical sexing, written arid computerized breeding and pediatric records, and artificial incubation of eggs.
Results of the census confirm that U.S. aviculturists maintain a wide variety of psittacine species in their collections, from very common to very rare, and they are breeding many species successfully. Popularity as a pet, the value of individual birds, and availability from the wild appear to play an interrelated role in determining what species are emphasized in captive breeding.
a) Eleven of the 25 most abundant taxa are species for which there is great commercial demand, but which are no longer available from the wild. Seven of these species were among the top ten in the category of young hatched per breeding pair, indicating a strong emphasis on captive breeding of these species. Not surprisingly, they are currently among the most popular psittacines in the pet trade.
b) Of those species still imported from the wild in relatively large numbers, census representation is directly related to the value of individual birds. Larger, more valuable birds such as macaws and cockatoos are represented in relatively larger numbers (compared to number imported), while inexpensive, readily available birds are not, as reflected by the low numbers of commonly imported conures and smaller parrots.
c) The uncommon or rare species in captivity, such as are generally held by breeders and collectors who often have an interest in the genus as a whole.