Abstract
ith the previous breeding year
W finished it is time to draw up a balance, and so let us do it with the Loro Parque Fundacion parrot collection. 2003 stands for a year of new breeding records, with 1,3 7 5 chicks ringed, which means an increase of 5 % in the results in comparison to the previous year.
In 2003, 171 species and subspecies of parrots were bred. Not every species reproduces on a yearly basis: there are always species that have a break in breeding, or are unsuccessful in breeding or in the incubation period.
Nevertheless, aside from the regular breeding parrots, 30 species and subspecies produced young for the first time after a breeding pause.
I want to draw special attention to those species and subspecies which have been bred in Loro Parque during 2003 for the first time. These are:
Salvin's Amazon (Amazona autumnalis salvini), Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica), Tres Marias Amazon (Amazona oratrix tresmariae), Marajo Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona ochrocephala. xatholaema), Purple-naped Lory (Lorius domicellus), Pileated Parrot (Pionopsitta pileata).
After a breeding pause of several years, the following remarkable species produced offspring in 2003: Red-tailed Amazon (Amazona brasiliensis), Redcrowned Amazon (Amazona rhodocorytha), Roatan Amazon (Amazona auropalliata caribae), Mountain Parakeet (Bolborhynchus aurifrons robertsi), Red-vented Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), Slenderbilled Conure (Enicognathus leptorhynchus).
Other noteworthy breeding results obtained by Loro Parque in 2003 come from the Hispaniolan Amazon (Amazona ventralis), Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis), Blue-headed Macaw (Ara couloni), Cactus Conure (Aratinga cactorum), Major Mitchell's
Cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri),
Patagonian Conure (Cyanoliseus
patagonus bloxami) and Short-tailed Parrot (Graydidaccalus brayurus).
During 2003, a total of24 species and subspecies of Amazons, 13 of the Macaws and 15 of the Cockatoos have been bred.
At present 348 different species and subspecies of parrots are held in the Loro Parque Fundacion installations.
Traditionally, the first parrots regularly inaugurating the breeding season, in December, are the Keas. Our reliable pair has already laid four eggs and is incubating well.
Surely, the highlight of the month is the clutch of one of our Palm Cockatoo pairs (Probosciger aterimus) of which we formed a new one last year of an adult male and a younger, only five and a half year old female. Both of them have moved to a high wooden nesting box and built a nest with all sorts of branches and they are incubating on a rotating basis the single egg of the clutch.
Furthermore, another sensational announcement is of an egg from the Riedel' s Electus Parrot (Electus roratus riedli). These birds exist only in two zoos of Europe and one of them is Loro Parque. Since we only have one male of this species, we placed him in a big communal aviary with four females in order to give him a free choice. There he chose a female and they moved together to a nesting box, and a few days ago the female laid an egg. There has never before been an egg of this species at Loro Parque.
Loro Parque Fundacion leaves behind a successful breeding year and the whole team of the Fundacion is glad to start the new breeding season with high motivation. The purpose is again to try everything to breed new species and to maintain experienced breeding pairs in a good "mood", in order to continue contributing strongly to the protection of species. •:•