- NEWS -January/February 2001 |
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Breeding success of the Sisserou in the Morne Diablotin National Park, Dominica
Dominica has taken great steps toward saving its national symbol, the endemic Imperial Amazon (Amazona imperialis) or "Sisserou". The Rare Species Conservatory (RSCF) has dedicated the past 3 years to conservation efforts in Dominica and focused on creating an ~ 8400-acre national park encompassing the only known nesting area for the Sisserou. The Morne Diablotin National Park is a significant new national park for the Caribbean, and is paramount to the Sisserou’s survival.
In May of 1999 a breeding pair of Sisserou parrots was discovered and photographed on the slopes of Morne Diablotin. A sucessful Sisserou nest has not been documented for many years. RSCF and Dominican forestry staff closely monitored the nest tree using still and video cameras, observing a male and female Sisserou vocalizing, displaying and feeding one another. The pair nested approximately 85 feet above the ground in a natural cavity formed in a Chatannye (Slonea spp.) tree. In early June a single chick successfully fledged and left the nest. This amazing discovery proves how critical the Morne Diablotin National Park is to the survival of the Sisserou parrot.
The 2000 season was a success in many respects. Several juvenile Sisserous were sighted within the Morne Diablotin National Park and a new, active nest tree was located. In addition, Sisserous were sighted for the first time in over twenty years on Morne Prosper, near Morne Trois Pitons National Park, in the southern half of the island. Although nesting has yet to be confirmed in this area, the discovery suggests that Sisserous may finally be reestablishing populations lost to hurricane David in 1979. The field season also gave the Parrot Team a chance to explore an inactive Sisserou nest cavity directly, yielding new insights on cavity architecture and orientation. Finally, a juvenile, female Sisserou – bumped from its nest cavity prematurely by the father – was rescued by the Parrot Team and successfully paired with the only known living captive specimen, a male housed in a government aviary located in the island's capital city of Roseau. The juvenile is providing first-ever information on fledgling size and weight, behavior, vocalizations, and development.
http://www.rarespecies.org/morne
The Parrots of San Francisco's Telegraph Hill
The 1998 breeding season was the most successful that the flock has ever had. A minimum of nineteen chicks fledged. For a short period the flock population stood at fifty-three, exceeding the old record of forty-two set in 1996. Two babies have died, and the flock count currently stands at fifty-one (i.e. in 1999).
The breakdown is this: forty-four Cherry-headed Conures (Aratinga erythrogenys), one Mitred Conure (Aratinga mitrata), five Cherry-headed/Mitred Conure hybrids, and one Blue-crowned Conure (Aratinga acuticaudata). Their breeding success may have been a result of the previous winter's El Niño event. The rain increased the amount of food available which may have encouraged the parrots to have more offspring.
Breeding usually starts in May; the parrots are nesting in Eucalyptus and preferably palm trees. The chicks begin to come out of the nests in early September. Roosting trees are located in parks. The parrots are feeding on seeds, fruits, and blossoms of trees and bushes. In winter, people tend to feed them.
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