2024 brought us some interesting information about parrots, their biology, and how some of the most endangered of the species have managed to hold on despite the challenges they've endured. Lets take a look at 3 pieces of news from last year that I believe are particularly interesting - in no particular order. 

Researchers Discover the Molecular Mechanism Behind the Red, Green, Yellow, and Orange Feathers of Parrots

As prey animals, birds have to be on the lookout for predators like hawks and snakes every single day. One distraction or slow response could be the difference between life and death. So, it can be kind of surprising that so many of them have such bright feathers. Species like the Scarlet macaw can be seen from an impressive distance. Their eye-catching appearance is an anomaly in comparison to what we usually see in most other prey animals that benefit from blending into their environment. 

Most birds get their colors from pigments called carotenoids, and they get them from the food in their diet like berries. But parrots are different. Instead of getting their bright colors from the food that they eat, they do so from pigments called psittacofulvins, which are a class of pigments that only they have. Psittacofulvins (sit-ah-co-ful-vins) are the pigments that are responsible for the brightest colors on a parrot’s feathers such as red, yellow, and orange. But many parrots have more than just a few colors. A wide spectrum of color variance can be seen in parrots all over the world. 

It wasn’t until a study which was published in November of 2024 that scientists understood how those feather pigments worked. They used two of the most colorful parrots, the dusky lory (Pseudeos fuscata) (pictured left, credit: Gembira Loka Zoo, Indonesia) and the rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) in order to take a closer look at the mechanisms behind how they get those vibrant colors. It’s thanks to the enzyme ALDH3A2, which takes psittacofulvins and oxidizes them in order to change them from red to yellow. The reds and yellows mix to become orange, and the yellows mix with the blue hues on the feather’s nanostructures to produce the color green.

A bird is genetically predetermined in how much of the enzyme will be produced which then determines its specific colors. So, as with so much of the beauty we see in the animal world, it’s thanks to the simple chemical reactions that take place in order to create such complex, uniquely beautiful life forms.

The Largest Known Population of Night Parrots in the World, a Species Nearly Extinct, is Found in Australia

The night parrot, (Pezoporus occidentalis) is a small, predominantly yellowish green parrot found in different regions of Australia. (Image credit: Arianna Urso/Western Australian Museum) It earned its name thanks to its nocturnal habits and perceived “secretive” nature. It is described as mostly terrestrial, or favoring staying on the ground. It is thought that it takes to the skies mostly in order to evade threats from predators and to search for water sources. Unfortunately, its population started to significantly decline in the late 19th century. It is thought that pastoralism and especially the arrival of feral predators were some of the main reasons for that decline. It is currently listed on the IUCN Red List as “critically endangered.” 

A small population of night parrots has been studied in Queensland, but very little was known about their presence in Western Australia. Indigenous rangers, using their knowledge of the area, chose areas to survey that led to the discovery of the majority of new locations where the night parrot has been spotted. Researchers surveyed 31 sites in Western Australia and detected the night parrots in 17 of those sites. It is thought that these areas have lower predation pressure from non-native species like cats, and that may be the reason why the birds are managing to hold on in these locations. Professor John Woinarski is a NESP Research Professor at the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods and specializes in conservation biology. He stated in a study published in 2017 that “There are reliable historic accounts of the local loss of some bird species (e.g. ground parrot, night parrot) shortly after the first arrival in an area of feral cats.” Cats kill millions of Australia’s local birds (about one million per day in Australia alone), playing a major role in the extinction of 6 species there.

The largest population that they found was in the Ngururrpa IPA, an Indigenous Protected Area located in the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia that covers 29,000 square kilometers. It is estimated that there could be at least 40 to 50 night parrots on the Ngururrpa IPA. That might not seem like a lot, but if you take into account that the Australia-wide population was estimated to be fewer than 100 birds total, that makes this discovery important in understanding how the species can continue to survive and possibly increase in numbers overall.

New Zealand’s Kakapo Parrot Developed Different Feather Colors in order to Avoid Predators

The kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) is a parrot that is endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. Because it comes from an island that is insulated from the rest of the world, it exhibits traits that differ from other parrots. Their faces resemble that of an owl, having what ornithologists refer to as a facial disc which is a collection of concave feathers on their face surrounding forward facing eyes. They have short legs, short wings, and are the world’s only known flightless parrot. They also have a remarkably long lifespan with the potential to live up to about 100 years. The Kakapo is also critically endangered, facing an immediate high risk of extinction. Their numbers drastically declined after Europeans arrived in New Zealand, bringing with them new predators, namely cats. In 1995, only 51 birds were known to be living in the wild. Conservation efforts have made a difference as more recent population numbers are thought to be about 250.

Researchers wanted to know more about why the Kakapo’s feather colors varied between green and olive-green among individuals within their population. If they could better understand their population genomics, or the genetic variance from within the species, they could help inform and likely help with the conservation and recovery efforts being done to protect them. It is believed that the bird’s variance in feather color likely evolved in order to evade two apex predators - the now extinct giant birds of prey known as the Haast’s eagle and the Eyles’ harrier. The Kakapo originally had a moss green color to their feathers, but started to have a more olive green shade about 1.93 million years ago, coinciding with the evolution of those apex predators which relied heavily on sight to hunt.

They analyzed genome sequence data from 168 kakapo, which is much of the living kakapo at the time of sequencing, and were able to find two genetic variants. They also found that due to differences in their microscopic structure, the green and olive green colors on their feathers reflected different wavelengths of light. They concluded that whichever color was more rare was more likely to help the birds evade the mentioned predators, improving their chances of survival. It is those facts along with other information obtained from the study that seems to explain the varying colors within their species.  Even though the researchers, using computer models, estimate that that color variance could be lost within 30 generations or so, they do not believe that it will negatively impact the birds as the predators that started it all are now long extinct.

2024 was an exciting year for those interested in topics about parrot care and biology. It also brought exciting flavors and opportunities to diversify our bird's diet for many of our new customers that gave our parrot food a try!

One of the favorites on everyone's list was our freeze-dried vegetable blend - the Green Goodness Boost - Parrot Veggies Mix featuring freeze-dried green peas, pineapples, spinach, and Freeze-cauliflower. 

References:

Arbore, Roberto, et al. “A molecular mechanism for bright color variation in parrots.” Science, vol. 386, no. 6721, Nov. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adp7710. 

Sunfly, Clifford, et al. “Potential threats and habitat of the night parrot on the NGURURRPA Indigenous Protected Area.” Wildlife Research, vol. 51, no. 10, 23 Sept. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1071/wr24083. 

Woinarski, J.C.Z., et al. “Compilation and traits of Australian bird species killed by cats.” Biological Conservation, vol. 216, Dec. 2017, pp. 1–9, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.09.017. 

Urban, Lara, et al. “The genetic basis of the kākāpō structural color polymorphism suggests balancing selection by an extinct Apex Predator.” PLOS Biology, vol. 22, no. 9, 10 Sept. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002755.