General
Barely any tree hollows are good enough for superb parrot nests, and that could pose an existential threat
One of Australia’s most vulnerable bird species is under growing threat from development, partly because it’s extremely picky about where it raises its young.
Key points:
- The superb parrot’s habitat is shrinking and researchers have found it could be smaller than previously thought
- Of all trees and tree hollows inspected, just 0.5 per cent were suitable nesting sites
- There are warnings that old trees need to be maintained to ensure the species has a long-term future
New research indicates superb parrots are so fussy about the tree hollows they chose to lay eggs in that they are limited to about one in 200 available nesting sites — far fewer than previous studies suggested.
And that could spell trouble for the endearing parrot, as its…
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