Around 90 critically endangered orange-bellied parrots have arrived in Tasmania for the summer, providing a glimmer of hope for the species’ survival.
Volunteers with the Orange-bellied Parrot Tasmanian Program have confirmed the arrival of two more parrots to Melaleuca in recent days, both of which were wild-born last season from nest boxes erected on poles.
Of the 90 parrots currently in the South-west National Park, 62 are wild-born and 28 are captive-bred.
37 are females and 53 are males.
The team is now eagerly awaiting the results of an annual census, which are just around the corner.
“We are into the final days before our census date and we are all very excited to see what the 2024/25 number will be,” the team said.
“Stay tuned for the final report on census next week.”
The orange-bellied parrot is one of Australia’s most threatened bird species.
May 2016 figures put the population at about 50 remaining in the wild and a captive breeding population of around 320.
