Abstract
The islands of the tropical Pacific
Ocean have always captured the
imagination of the European and
American visitors, and are still the subject
of daydreams about turquoise
blue lagoons, coconut palms, white
sandy beaches -just paradise. This
paradise is home to some of the most
beautiful and spectacular birds, which
are almost unknown in our civilized
countries. So little is know about the
splendid Silktail (Lamprolia victoriae),
the gorgeous Flame Dove (Ptilinopus
victor), the peculiar Toothbilled
Pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris),
or the unique Cagou (Rhyno-
chetus jubatus).
Some of the most beautiful parrots
live on these legendary islands. The
first among them is the Ultramarine
Lorikeet (Vini ultramarina) whose
array of blue colors rivals the tones of
the most spectacular lagoons of its
island home. Another gem from the
islands is the Red Shining Parrot (Prosopeia
tabuensis), feathered in dark
burgundy red, while the wings and
the tail shine in the brightest blue and
green colors imaginable.
But paradise has its problems, and
with these situations the situation of
many species of island creatures has
changed dramatically. Hunting, introduced
predators and habitat destruction
has resulted in the extinction
of birds the extent of which is unmatched
in other parts of the world. A
number of birds which have survived
this wave of destruction are now
facing a very uncertain future.
In 1989, the Brehm Fund for International
Bird Conservation initiated a
conservation program for endangered
Pacific Island species, the Brehm Fund
South Seas Expedition, based in the
Kingdom of Tonga. This program
includes island surveys, translocation
of threatened species, captive breeding,
and education. Among the species
which receive special attention
within this program is the Red Shining
Parrot (called Koki in the islands)
which is threatened by loss of habitat,
and potentially by trade. The Koki has
become the .flagship species for wildlife
conse1vation in Tonga. A flock has
been established in captivity and now
I am reporting about their successes
after two breeding seasons.
The Captive Flock
The captive flock of Red Shining
Parrots was established since the end
of the wild parrots' breeding season in
1989. Most of the captive birds were
received from people on 'Eua, the
only Tongan Island where the Red
Shining Parrot occurs in the wild. Considerable
numbers of young parrots
are taken from nests every year and
kept as pets in tiny wire cages. Most of
them die after a short period of time.
Some are eaten and their feathers are
used to decorate traditional mats.
We visited villages in October, 1989
and 1990, and collected most of the
captive birds. Only a few people
refused to give us their parrots, and
these birds were kept under better
conditions than those which we could
obtain. Some farmers use traps, baited
with coconuts, on their plantations
year round. They capture Banded
Rails (Gallirallus philippensis), Purple
Swamphens (Porphyria porphyria),
feral chickens and, occasionally
parrots. Instead of eating these birds
immediately, some were offered to us.
From this our captive flock slowly
increased to 30 birds.
All of these parrots were put into a
large aviary with side-quarters. They
acclimatized very well and I observed
very little aggression. Most newcomers
were also integrated into the
flock without problems. The most
aggressive birds were those which
had been in captivity for more than
one year (mostly under bad conditions)
before we obtained them. They
did not integrate into the flock very
well and did not establish bonds with
other parrots.
The aviary also housed four Purple
Swamphens and three Pacific Grey
Ducks (Anas superciliosa). Some of
the parrots "played" with these birds,
"diving down" on them and chasing
them around in the aviary. The handraised
birds which had been taken
from nests remained tame, and flew
towards the visitors who fed them
with berries and peanuts.
Aviary Design and Diet
The idea to build a complex aviary
where the birds can choose either to
join the flock or separate from other
parrots (which parrots do in the wild
during their breeding seasons)
resulted from my field studies of Red
Shining Parrots on the Tongan island
of 'Eua. Other field studies of parrots
also had an important input, as well as
the often frustrating results of parrot
breeders with so-called aggressive
species. I had not heard nor read
about a successful natural breeding of
the Red Shining Parrot in captivity.
The young birds had to be handraised
because their fathers became
too aggressive, attacking the newborn
chicks (and even the hens).
This happens in many parrot species.
My hypothesis was that if the par-
rots had the choice between flock and
breeding territory, the aggression of
the male would not be directed
towards the mate (and the chicks). As
a result, the birds should then successfully
breed and rear their own chicks.