Loro Parque Fundación supports the breeding and release of Orange-bellied Parrots
BY David Waugh, Correspondent, Loro Parque Fundación
Adult Orange-bellied Parrot – Huon Douglas/PPC;One of the rarest parrots in the world is the Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster), being closely related to five other grass parrot species found in Australia. It is endemic to coastal areas of south-eastern Australia and is one of three parrot species which migrate between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmania. The other migrant species are the Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) of which, like the Orange-bellied Parrot (OBP), the entire population migrates, and the Blue-winged Parrot (Neophema chrysostoma) of which
part of the population migrates. Like the Swift Parrot, the OBP is classed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, having a perilously small population size (<100) for more than two decades and a low point in 2016 with only three wild females returning from migration to the breeding area.
Map of the geographical distribution of the Orange-bellied Parrot. Gov. Australia-J.J. Harrison In the non-breeding (austral winter) season the OBPs inhabit coastal areas of the south-east Australian mainland where they forage in saltmarshes and other wetland habitats for seeds and flowers of herbs, sedges and grasses. There is widespread on-going loss of the species’ wintering habitat to agricultural and urban development, probably reducing winter survival of the parrots. In the breeding season in Tasmania, the OBP occurs only in the remote Southwest World Heritage Area, where extensive wet and cold buttongrass moorland is interspersed with patches of forest. The species breeds at a specific protected and carefully monitored (since 1979) site called Melaleuca, which is supplemented with nest-boxes, additional food sources and an ecological burn programme to improve habitat for future generations.
Tasmanian Aboriginal people used fire as part of their cultural practices, and this restrained forest encroachment and resulted in different succession stages after fire. The preferred Tasmanian food plants of OBPs grow in the open ground of moorlands after fire. OBPs nest in tree hollows of Smithton peppermint (Eucalyptus nitida), and the extent of suitable breeding habitat was probably limited by availability of trees with cavities close to recently
burned areas of moorland. It is speculated that, with the arrival of Europeans, the previously small-scale fires changed to larger, more intermittent and intense wildfires, thereby reducing the availability and quality of breeding habitat (Stojanovic & Heinsohn, 2023; Stojanovic etal., 2023a). Although common in the 1840s, Orange-bellied Parrots were already scarce by 1917.
In such a small recent population, the loss of genetic diversity negatively impacting fitness and survival is also a concern. With samples from as early as 1829, researchers have tracked the long‐term genomic erosion and immunogenetic diversity decline in this species, them latter having special relevance to diseases, in particular Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease and the more recent highly pathogenic avian influenza strain H5N1 2.3.4.4b. The researchers found that 62% of genomic diversity has been lost between historical and contemporary OBPs (Silver et al., 2025). Furthermore, Stojanovic et al., (2022) found that, over a 22-year period, only about 8 per cent of OBP mothers bred more than once and that non-random (some individuals more likely to die than others) juvenile mortality was more prevalent than expected by chance. This led some family lineages to die out, with resulting diminished
genetic diversity in the population. The researchers recommend the early identification and correction of lineage loss as an important practical conservation measure.
Orange-bellied Parrot in flight overhead. James Bailey
Given its dire situation, the OBP was the first Australian bird species to be subject to an emergency plan (2010), and for which an insurance population was established in captivity by the Tasmanian Government in 1986 when ten parrots were collected from the wild.
Further collections were made in subsequent decades, and at present, the captive population comprises more than four hundred birds and is the largest threatened species captive breeding
programme in Australia. The carefully monitored and closely managed captive population is spread between five breeding institutions across Australia, one of those being the Priam Psittaculture Centre (PPC), participating since 2013. This government-registered Research and Breeding Facility, and allied non-profit National Threatened Species Institute, is located near Canberra, Australia. Like the other participating institutions, under the guidance of the Australasian Species Management Programme (ASMP) of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia, Priam maintains OBPs at its centre to contribute to sustaining the coordinated captive breeding programme and for release of OBPs to the wild breeding area. Priam’s captive breeding of OBPs is currently supported by the Loro Parque Fundación.
Breeding habitat in Melaleuca, Tasmania. J.J. Harrison
Following the ASMP, during the 2024/25 breeding season Priam accommodated five breeding pairs, with transfer recommendations for 11 OBPs going to other institutions for either breeding or display and three incoming OBPs for breeding. All incoming parrots complete a minimum six-week quarantine period and are tested for endoparasites and pathogens. They are closely monitored during the quarantine period and must be assessed as
healthy before being relocated into the OBP breeding aviaries. There are an additional three aviaries holding excess OBPs that do not have a breeding recommendation for any specified season. These individuals are used as potential foster parents for large clutches to minimise nestling competition and increase survival. Thus, one to two eggs from a recommended breeding pair may be transferred to a foster pair nest if the timing is suitable.
Orange-bellied Parrot pair at nestbox in the wild. Huon Douglas
At Priam, all OBPs are monitored a minimum of twice per day directly and any visual observations are recorded for health and behaviour. In the event of incompatibility between
pairs, a new pairing recommendation may be requested from the OBP Species Coordinator. A diverse range of foods are offered from local flowering native plants to fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, extruded pellets, dry mixed seeds, sprouted seed/legumes, nuts, water and
apple cider vinegar. Each breeding pair is maintained in an aviary with access to two styles of timber nest-boxes with differences in design, size and location within the aviary, all being
serviceable from the enclosed safety zone for ease of nest inspections, which are performed 2
to 3 times per week. All eggs laid are recorded with date and time, candled for fertility and
progress of embryonic development, and weekly breeding reports are provided to the OBP
Species Coordinator. During veterinary health examinations the OBPs are anaesthetised
during the entire procedure using isoflurane. Each parrot also receives a microchip during this
procedure. The veterinary health check is performed during the incoming transfer quarantine
period, the outgoing pre-transfer quarantine period, pre-release quarantine period and for all
juveniles accommodated at the centre.
Orange-bellied Parrot egg and chick. Priam Psittaculture Centre
The 2024/25 breeding season at Priam resulted in a total of nine OBP fledglings. Of those,
three were selected for the juvenile release at the breeding area of Melaleuca and were released to the wild in January 2025. Five adult OBPs were also selected from those held at
Priam and included in the spring release at Melaleuca, although one did not survive the translocation. Tasmanian Government biologists and a committed team of volunteers
undertake close monitoring of the wild population and captive-bred releases at Melaleuca, including banding and testing for disease of all wild nestlings, the provision of nest boxes and supplementary food. To help the OBP persist in the wild, improvements to their habitat continue, as does the creation of additional breeding locations. Captive-bred OBPs have been
released at suitable alternative locations, but to date they have always returned to Melaleuca.
Therefore, there is training underway of captive-bred OBPs for site retention to assist in establishing breeding locations away from Melaleuca.
Manipulation of a captive Orange-bellied Parrot for its health check. Priam Psittaculture Centre
The continued release of captive-bred birds is also vital to help the OBP persist in the wild.
Recent releases from captivity have increased the population size, which has been small for a long time, corrected adult sex ratio skews and increased the number of wild-born juveniles produced each year. Over the last 20 years the mortality rate of juveniles embarking on their first migration has doubled for unknown reasons, and unless juvenile mortality rates can be
reduced from 80% to about 60%, the wild population will not be self-sustaining. Currently, the only known option for reducing mortality rates is to optimise the body condition of nestlings. In this context, Bussolini et al. (2024) have shown that OBP nestling physical
condition predicts the first year of survival. They calculated a body condition index for 1,039
wild and captive-bred OBPs hatched over six breeding seasons. Nestling body condition varied with year, provenance (wild or captive-bred), and brood position. Wild nestlings had
consistently higher body condition than captive-bred nestlings, and first-hatched nestlings were typically heavier than later hatched siblings. They then investigated first-year survival for 298 wild-born and captive-bred released parrots in the wild. Overall, first-year survival was 27.5%, and individual body condition was more influential than provenance in predicting survival. The findings can be used to aid the selection of individuals for release that have the
best prospects of surviving in the wild.
Anaesthetised Orange-bellied Parrot undergoing part of its health check. Priam Psittaculture Centre
Related research on OBPs over an 11-year period has shown that the hatch rate of eggs was higher in first clutches compared to second clutches and was lower in the captive than the wild population. The survival rate of captive-bred nestlings through to fledging was variable between years but became higher and more consistent over the last five years of the study period (Bussolini et al., 2023). Research has also examined the effects of age and captivity on
sociality and migration survival of OBPs (Bussolini et al., 2024). Captive-origin adult birds are released in spring to contribute to breeding and juveniles are released in autumn prior to migration. Historically, captive-bred adults have low rates of migration survival, whereas
captive and wild juveniles survive at comparable rates. No differences were found between captive and wild birds in how sociality impacted migration survival, suggesting that released birds integrated into the population. However, juveniles were more strongly connected and demonstrated greater network stability than adults. The research provides evidence of different migration strategies previously described for juveniles and adults, i.e. that adults depart in small groups and juveniles depart as a larger flock a few weeks later. The
researchers suggest that the low migration survival of captive-bred adults could be because they have missed the juvenile flocking phase, which therefore may be crucial for future survival.
Orange-bellied Parrot pre-release quarantine – Priam Psittaculture Centre
Following multiple releases of captive-reared birds back into the wild (occurring annually since 2013), captive and wild populations have attained similar overall levels of genetic variability (heterozygosity), and genetic differentiation between these populations is low (Morrison et al., 2020). However, it the small population size of the OBP that is its most existential threat. For example, small flocks of juveniles may be less effective at finding suitable migration routes and winter habitat. In this regard, Stojanovic et al., (2023b) undertook a population viability analysis (PVA) of the OBP to compare the impact of different potential conservation interventions. They found that the release of 100 juveniles from captivity to the wild population each autumn was the most feasible and straightforward intervention to have a positive effect. However, they also showed that unless substantial and sustainable reductions are made to juvenile mortality rates, OBPs will remain dependent on intensive conservation management.
Orange-bellied Parrot in flight – Huon Douglas
