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ECHO PARAKEET
Psittacula eques echo
Original range | Current range | Estimated population | Threats to survival | Species recovery | Species recovery | Partners and links
Description: The echo parakeet is similar to the common Indian Ring-necked parakeet (P. krameri) found in North American pet stores, but darker green and larger. Beak colour is red in the adult male and recently fledged young, and black in the adult female. The echo parakeet feeds almost exclusively on native trees, eating buds, shoots, leaves, flowers, seeds, bark, sap and especially fruit. Echo parakeets remain together in pairs throughout the year and may be seen billing (courtship feeding) in most, if not all, months. The breeding season is in spring, with one to three eggs laid and incubated for 23 to 26 days before hatching. Chicks fledge about 60 days after hatching. Echo Parakeets measure 35 to 42 cm, males weigh 150g, and females weigh 170g.
Original range: Native only to Mauritius, widely distributed throughout the island.
Current range: Wild population found in a 50 square kilometre area in the mountainous region of the Black River Gorges in southwestern Mauritius.
Estimated population: Down to 10-12 known wild birds in 1986, it is the rarest parakeet in the world. The recovery program has boosted the wild population to an estimated 106 to 126 individuals.
Threats to survival: Predation of nests by introduced predators such as rats, mongoose, macaques and feral cats; competition for food and nest cavities with introduced birds; limited habitat range coupled with degraded native forest; natural disasters such as cyclones; disease carried by non-native birds.
Species recovery: Year-round conservation efforts for the echo parakeet started in 1987. Efforts are focused on native forest restoration (weeding of aggressive introduced plants) and active hands-on management techniques.
For the wild birds, supplemental food, artificial nest boxes and the reduction of introduced predators have resulted in significant increases in productivity in the wild. In captivity, breeding results until 1993 were poor primarily due to poorly understood dietary requirements and disease. Since then captive breeding results have improved dramatically. Not only are the birds breeding in captivity, but selected wild eggs are pulled from the wild (the parakeets will lay a second clutch) as a method of increasing productivity. With a secure captive population, priority will go to continued captive breeding, manipulation of wild nests and re-introduction as a means of increasing the wild population to a self-sustainable level.
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Photographs by Lance Woolaver
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