Breeding Red Shining Parrots

The islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean have always captured the imagination of the European and American visitors, and are still the subject of daydreams about turquoise blue lagoons, coconut palms, white sandy beaches -just paradise. This paradise is home to some of the most beautiful and spectacular birds, which are almost unknown in our civilized countries. So little is know about the splendid Silktail (Lamprolia victoriae), the gorgeous Flame Dove (Ptilinopus victor), the peculiar Toothbilled Pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris), or the unique Cagou (Rhyno-  chetus jubatus). Some of the most beautiful parrots live on these legendary islands. The first among them is the Ultramarine Lorikeet (Vini ultramarina) whose array of blue colors rivals the tones of the most spectacular lagoons of its island home. Another gem from the islands is the Red Shining Parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis), feathered in dark burgundy red, while the wings and the tail shine in the brightest blue and green colors imaginable. But paradise has its problems, and with these situations the situation of many species of island creatures has  changed dramatically. Hunting, introduced predators and habitat destruction has resulted in the extinction of birds the extent of which is unmatched in other parts of the world. A number of birds which have survived this wave of destruction are now facing a very uncertain future. In 1989, the Brehm Fund for International Bird Conservation initiated a conservation program for endangered Pacific Island species, the Brehm Fund South Seas Expedition, based in the Kingdom of Tonga. This program includes island surveys, translocation of threatened species, captive breeding, and education. Among the species which receive special attention within this program is the Red Shining Parrot (called Koki in the islands) which is threatened by loss of habitat, and potentially by trade. The Koki has become the .flagship species for wildlife conse1vation in Tonga. A flock has been established in captivity and now I am reporting about their successes after two breeding seasons. The Captive Flock The captive flock of Red Shining Parrots was established since the end of the wild parrots' breeding season in 1989. Most of the captive birds were received from people on 'Eua, the only Tongan Island where the Red Shining Parrot occurs in the wild. Considerable numbers of young parrots are taken from nests every year and kept as pets in tiny wire cages. Most of them die after a short period of time.  Some are eaten and their feathers are used to decorate traditional mats. We visited villages in October, 1989 and 1990, and collected most of the captive birds. Only a few people refused to give us their parrots, and these birds were kept under better conditions than those which we could obtain. Some farmers use traps, baited with coconuts, on their plantations year round. They capture Banded Rails (Gallirallus philippensis), Purple Swamphens (Porphyria porphyria), feral chickens and, occasionally parrots. Instead of eating these birds immediately, some were offered to us. From this our captive flock slowly increased to 30 birds. All of these parrots were put into a large aviary with side-quarters. They acclimatized very well and I observed very little aggression. Most newcomers were also integrated into the flock without problems. The most aggressive birds were those which had been in captivity for more than one year (mostly under bad conditions) before we obtained them. They did not integrate into the flock very well and did not establish bonds with other parrots. The aviary also housed four Purple Swamphens and three Pacific Grey Ducks (Anas superciliosa). Some of the parrots played with these birds, diving down on them and chasing them around in the aviary. The handraised birds which had been taken from nests remained tame, and flew towards the visitors who fed them with berries and peanuts. Aviary Design and Diet The idea to build a complex aviary where the birds can choose either to join the flock or separate from other parrots (which parrots do in the wild during their breeding seasons) resulted from my field studies of Red Shining Parrots on the Tongan island of 'Eua. Other field studies of parrots also had an important input, as well as the often frustrating results of parrot breeders with so-called aggressive species. I had not heard nor read about a successful natural breeding of the Red Shining Parrot in captivity. The young birds had to be handraised because their fathers became too aggressive, attacking the newborn chicks (and even the hens). This happens in many parrot species. My hypothesis was that if the par- rots had the choice between flock and breeding territory, the aggression of the male would not be directed towards the mate (and the chicks). As a result, the birds should then successfully breed and rear their own chicks.