# The Night Parrot rediscovered



## emydura (Jul 3, 2013)

Exciting news for Australian birdwatchers with the first photos ever taken of the elusive Night Parrot. Thought to be extinct with the last live specimen seen more than 100 years ago, John Young finally found a few after 15 years of searching. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-...lmed-the-rare-australian-night-parrot/4796342

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/new...est-stays-secret/story-e6frg8y6-1226673955460

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/mysterious-night-parrot-caught-on-film.htm


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## mrhappyrotter (Jul 3, 2013)

I'm wondering, does it pair better with red or white wine?


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## The Orchid Boy (Jul 4, 2013)

Very cool! Is this the same thing as a kakapo?


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## John M (Jul 4, 2013)

The Orchid Boy said:


> Very cool! Is this the same thing as a kakapo?



I wondered that too; but, some Googling revealed that the kakapo is a New Zealand species. It's also flightless and HUGE. It's a different Genus and species of parrot from the Kakapo. 

I read the info at the links and then Googled the scientific name. There are quite a few photos online....which begs the question: Why do some reports say it's been thought to be extinct for 100 years? Some of the colour photos are modern and of good quality. 

It's great that an apparently healthy population has been discovered.....now, to just keep the poachers and curious away!


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## emydura (Jul 4, 2013)

John M said:


> I wondered that too; but, some Googling revealed that the kakapo is a New Zealand species. It's also flightless and HUGE. It's a different Genus and species of parrot from the Kakapo.
> 
> I read the info at the links and then Googled the scientific name. There are quite a few photos online....which begs the question: Why do some reports say it's been thought to be extinct for 100 years? Some of the colour photos are modern and of good quality.
> 
> It's great that an apparently healthy population has been discovered.....now, to just keep the poachers and curious away!



Yes, the Kakapo is a completely different bird. Much bigger in size.

The photos you are seeing are of the Ground Parrot, not the Night Parrot. Same genus but different species. They look quite similar. The Ground Parrot is not nocturnal unlike the Night Parrot. The Night Parrot is found in the spinnifex regions in the desert whereas the Ground Parrot is found in coastal heath. The Ground Parrot is very hard to see as well. I have only been able to see it on one trip on a 6 day wilderness coastal trek. 

There are some photos of stuffed specimens of the Night Parrot but not live specimens. The last live Night Parrot was seen in 1912. The fact they are purely nocturnal and live in such remote areas means they will always be hard to find but there numbers would appear to be very low and this species is at real risk of extinction.


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## John M (Jul 4, 2013)

Thanks David. I didn't realize that the photos that came up were of a different; but, related species. Hopefully, the night parrots won't be disturbed. That' always a risk when something rare gets publicised.

At the bottom of the third link you provided, there were links to related topics. I read all the ones about Gouldian Finches. I used to breed Gouldians. I had a flock of about 30 birds, all the bright colour morphs (not things like silivers and pastels. I like colour!). The last I heard was that it was thought that their numbers were dwindling because of air sack mite infestations. Also, the last I heard, the wild populations were still dropping in numbers. I'm encouraged and quite pleased to learn that they think they've figured out the real problem.....it's the modern fire management techniques that is destroying the wild food supply. Also, the numbers of wild birds, while still dangerously low, are beginning to build up again. My fingers are crossed that the correct changes are made to the way fire is managed and all goes well with the rebuilding of the wild flocks of Gouldians!


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## Stone (Jul 4, 2013)

Yes its excellent news David. Amazing really given all the cats and foxes!
Now we wait for someone to film a Tassie Tiger!


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## Stone (Jul 4, 2013)

John M said:


> Thanks David. I didn't realize that the photos that came up were of a different; but, related species. Hopefully, the night parrots won't be disturbed. That' always a risk when something rare gets publicised.
> 
> At the bottom of the third link you provided, there were links to related topics. I read all the ones about Gouldian Finches. I used to breed Gouldians. I had a flock of about 30 birds, all the bright colour morphs (not things like silivers and pastels. I like colour!). The last I heard was that it was thought that their numbers were dwindling because of air sack mite infestations. Also, the last I heard, the wild populations were still dropping in numbers. I'm encouraged and quite pleased to learn that they think they've figured out the real problem.....it's the modern fire management techniques that is destroying the wild food supply. Also, the numbers of wild birds, while still dangerously low, are beginning to build up again. My fingers are crossed that the correct changes are made to the way fire is managed and all goes well with the rebuilding of the wild flocks of Gouldians!



Interesting to hear someone in Canada keeping gouldians John. How did you keep them warm?


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## emydura (Jul 4, 2013)

John M said:


> Thanks David. I didn't realize that the photos that came up were of a different; but, related species. Hopefully, the night parrots won't be disturbed. That' always a risk when something rare gets publicised.
> 
> At the bottom of the third link you provided, there were links to related topics. I read all the ones about Gouldian Finches. I used to breed Gouldians. I had a flock of about 30 birds, all the bright colour morphs (not things like silivers and pastels. I like colour!). The last I heard was that it was thought that their numbers were dwindling because of air sack mite infestations. Also, the last I heard, the wild populations were still dropping in numbers. I'm encouraged and quite pleased to learn that they think they've figured out the real problem.....it's the modern fire management techniques that is destroying the wild food supply. Also, the numbers of wild birds, while still dangerously low, are beginning to build up again. My fingers are crossed that the correct changes are made to the way fire is managed and all goes well with the rebuilding of the wild flocks of Gouldians!



The Night Parrots are found in remote Western Queensland on private property and John Young says he isn't going to advertise where they are located. So they maybe safe for a while. Still you wonder about the long term conservation of this species. As Mick said these areas are full of cats and this species is not really a flier. They must be easy prey. Some sort of conservation programme is needed. Any other species of parrot and you would probably catch a few and breed them in captivity as a safeguard (eg. the Orange Bellied Parrot). But this ain't any ordinary parrot and hence would unlikely succeed. 

Yes, I read those articles on the Gouldian Finch as well. Like you I thought this species was in terminal decline so it is encouraging to see things have improved. One of the worlds most beautiful birds in my opinion so it would be a tragedy if it disappeared. I think they are starting to implement the fire regimes of the traditional owners as it is important in maintaining diversity.


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## NYEric (Jul 4, 2013)

Cool, thanks for sharing.

JP Faust has Gouldian finches in Canada also.


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## Erythrone (Jul 4, 2013)

Good news!!!!!! Thanks for sharing. 

I also knew some folks that breed Gouldian finches in Canada


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## Trithor (Jul 4, 2013)

That is great news! Thank you for sharing that with us. Hopefully you will keep us updated on any new developments?


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## John M (Jul 4, 2013)

Stone said:


> Interesting to hear someone in Canada keeping gouldians John. How did you keep them warm?



The Gouldians in Canada have been bred for so many generations now that they really don't need any special heat related considerations (within reason....common sense still goes a long way). Simply because of "guided" selection, I think our captive bred Gouldians are a lot hardier than your wild birds, when it comes to temperatures. I kept my flock in the basement where temps were about 60*F at night and about 72*F during the day. I also put them outside in a large flight in the summer. Temps outside can get too cold during spells of below seasonal temperatures, of course; so, I covered the roof and wrapped the top half of the flight sides in plastic, and installed a couple ceramic reptile heaters in the top of the flight. I also installed a 25watt green lightbulb to provide a bit of light and also warmth. The birds could sit as close to, or as far from, the heat sources as they liked.

At one point, I had a lot of birds flying loose in my greenhouse. They included Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Peking Robins, Button Quail and Gouldian Finches. All the birds thrived and many built nests and raised families. Temps in the greenhouse typically went down to about 55*F to 60*F at night and up to about 80*F during the day. I LOVED working in the greenhouse with the birds just flying loose, all around me. Unfortunately, with the exception of the Diamond Doves, the other birds took to liking orchid flower buds. Too many flowers were opening with severe deformities due to a chunk being bitten right out of them when the buds were small and tight. Eventually, I sold the Robins and donated the remaining birds to my local, volunteer-run, aviary. I was getting too busy to manage a bunch of breeding cages and after experiencing them flying loose in the greenhouse, I just didn't want to put the birds back into the basement. I figured that retiring them to a large public aviary was in their best interest. I do have plans to get back into keeping them again.....someday. I LOVED them.


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## chrismende (Jul 5, 2013)

Oh, this Gouldian topic has me going again! I am preparing my greenhouse to receive a pair of them sometime soon. I had finches as a child, with my mother who also loved them. Strawberries, Societies, Tricolor Nuns, one Gouldian (red head), Zebras. I've wanted to get birds into my greenhouse since seeing Trithor's image of one in his. Just have to do all the preps.
So do they also nip flower buds, John?


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## Trithor (Jul 5, 2013)

I have found the Gouldians to very good greenhouse companions. They don't touch paph blooms at all. (They do interfere with blooms that are shell pink as in Broughtonia, but again it is selective and generally only those arching spikes near their favourite perches are interfered with) I think the friendly atmosphere they add to the greenhouse far outweighs any negative impact they may have. And they become incredibly tame, they pick around in the potting mix while I work at my potting bench, and love to come for a shower when I spray the hanging baskets. Then to add to the whole positive experience, on dull orchid-bloom-less days, it is like having a whole bunch of colourful flying orchid blooms!


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## John M (Jul 5, 2013)

chrismende said:


> Oh, this Gouldian topic has me going again! I am preparing my greenhouse to receive a pair of them sometime soon. I had finches as a child, with my mother who also loved them. Strawberries, Societies, Tricolor Nuns, one Gouldian (red head), Zebras. I've wanted to get birds into my greenhouse since seeing Trithor's image of one in his. Just have to do all the preps.
> So do they also nip flower buds, John?



I had a mixed collection of birds loose in my greenhouse, Chris. However, I can say that the Button Quail did no damage at all. They just left eggs everywhere! But, being 1,440 sq feet, the greenhouse gave them the ability to act as Quail should. They moved around in groups as they foraged for bugs and spilled seed from the bird 2 feeders above at either end of the greenhouse. They became quite bold, not remaining skittish, as they are in smaller aviaries. However, one move towards them and they'd scatter back under the benches.

The Diamond Dove pair were a delight. They did virtually no damage to the plants and they produced 2 babies every 4 weeks! I'd notice that one (the female), would disappear. Eventually, I'd notice as I watered a hanging pot that I was also watering a dove sitting on a nest. She never moved, even when being watered! After I'd located her new nest, I'd be a lot more careful. The eggs would hatch in less than 2 weeks and the babies would fledge in another 2 weeks. No nest was used twice. Then, Mom and Dad would start again. Very prolific birds. Also, they had favourite roosting places and the droppings were concentrated under those locations. The droppings also washed off the plant foliage easily, making it easy to clean up after them and keep the plants looking nice. 

Did you know that these Doves can fly like bullets shot from a gun? I learned to pay attention to where they were and where my head was while in an aisleway. I had a lot of hanging plants; so, other than way up in the peak of the greenhouse, there were "corridors" of open space only above each aisleway. The Doves would shoot down these "flyways" so fast, they were barely a blur as they grazed my head and shot by! It never happened; but, I often thought that if they miscalculated, I'd be knocked out if hit by one....and the bird would be nothing more than a red stain on the side of my head! I knew that I'd just been buzzed more from hearing the wistle of their wings, than from seeing them as they passed....they were so fast! What beautiful birds. Then, they'd stop on a low perch and be all calm and collected.....making it hard to imagine that they could do anything more than slowly flutter from perch to perch.

The Zebras were a bit of a problem, as were the Gouldians when it came to picking at the flowers. I also had a pair of black and white Mannekins. They loved to build big, ball-shaped nests in the Stanhopeas. I never noticed them eating buds. 

However, the Peking Robins, which were my favourite of them all, were very destructive and they were ultimately why I stopped having birds loose in the greenhouse. I pay the bills with my orchids and the Robins were putting me into the poor house! They don't eat seeds; they eat fruit and bugs. They also ate Oxalis seed pods, which I did like to see. They were a great help in keeping down the bug populations. However, they seemed to think that orchid buds were fruits and they took a bite out of every one, ruining the bloom that would open a short time later. It was a real disappointment that they tended to do that, because they were such a delight. They are beautiful and the male has a wonderful song. And, they are VERY cheeky and full...I mean FULL, of spunk and attitude. This made them a lot of fun. I had 3 pair loose in the greenhouse and they'd come to me like a gang of thieves, stalking their prey. I'd enter the greenhouse and I could hear their chatter, change from normal to something along the lines of "Let's get him!" They'd move towards me by hopping from plant to plant, the group as one single unit, mumbling under their breath all the way. I felt like I was being stalked! They did this because they knew that I held the secret to how to get into the mealworm culture tray that I kept under the potting bench for them. Peking Robins will sell their own mother into slavery for a juicy mealworm! As I moved around the greenhouse, going about my business, the gang of thugs would follow, like a shaddow, up in the foliage. I'm certain they were talking about what they'd do to me if I didn't produce some mealworms soon! As soon as I reached under the bench and produced the mealworm tray, they'd be right there, on the bench, being very vocal about how bloody long I took! I'd put a few mealworms in my hand and they'd quickly dart over, land on my hand, grab a mealworm and shoot up to the nearest perch to enjoy their tasty snack. The Robins were a LOT of fun. It was a real shame that I had to stop having them loose; but, I just couldn't afford the damage that they did to the flower buds.


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## NYEric (Jul 5, 2013)

If I had window screens and NO CATS I would get some finches to eat the bugs and snails!


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## Trithor (Jul 5, 2013)

John, that is a lot more adventurous than I have ever got with birds in my greenhouse. I have always wanted quails, but I have a group of Bostons and Jack Russells, They get along fine with the Gouldians, but I am sure that birds at their eye-level will be a different matter entirely.


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## NYEric (Jul 5, 2013)

mrhappyrotter said:


> I'm wondering, does it pair better with red or white wine?



Wow! You almost got away with that!


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## John M (Jul 5, 2013)

Trithor said:


> I have always wanted quails, but I have a group of Bostons and Jack Russells, They get along fine with the Gouldians, but I am sure that birds at their eye-level will be a different matter entirely.



You are wise. The quail wouldn't work in your situation. If the dogs went for the quail, the quail's instinctive way to escape a sudden threat is to "explode" straight up at fantastically high speed. They'll do that even if they're under a bench. It's a good way to skin their heads!....or kill them.


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## Erythrone (Jul 5, 2013)

John... I had 2 Pekin Robins when I was a teenager and a young adult. In French, we call them Rossignols du Japon (Japanese Nightingale). They were fantastic birds. They were in a fairly large cage (4 ft x 4 ft x 2 1/2 )but unfotunatly I never had any babies from them...

Did your Pekin Robins ever hatch?

Did you know the species is now on CITES?


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## emydura (Jul 5, 2013)

John M said:


> The Diamond Dove pair were a delight. They did virtually no damage to the plants and they produced 2 babies every 4 weeks! I'd notice that one (the female), would disappear. Eventually, I'd notice as I watered a hanging pot that I was also watering a dove sitting on a nest. She never moved, even when being watered! After I'd located her new nest, I'd be a lot more careful. The eggs would hatch in less than 2 weeks and the babies would fledge in another 2 weeks. No nest was used twice. Then, Mom and Dad would start again. Very prolific birds. Also, they had favourite roosting places and the droppings were concentrated under those locations. The droppings also washed off the plant foliage easily, making it easy to clean up after them and keep the plants looking nice.
> 
> The Zebras were a bit of a problem, as were the Gouldians when it came to picking at the flowers. I also had a pair of black and white Mannekins. They loved to build big, ball-shaped nests in the Stanhopeas. I never noticed them eating buds.



I use to keep Diamond Doves myself when I was a kid. They are delightful. I see them every now and then in the wild, particularly when heading west to the arid regions. They don't seem to be anywhere near as common as the Peaceful Dove which is another nice small dove. I've often found the two species together in flocks. 

Zebra Finches are unbelievably common in the arid regions. In Central Australia it didn't matter where you stopped the car, there would be Zebra Finches close by. You could hear them everywhere.


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## Trithor (Jul 6, 2013)

NYEric said:


> Wow! You almost got away with that!



I believe he did!:rollhappy:


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## John M (Jul 7, 2013)

Erythrone said:


> John... I had 2 Pekin Robins when I was a teenager and a young adult. In French, we call them Rossignols du Japon (Japanese Nightingale). They were fantastic birds. They were in a fairly large cage (4 ft x 4 ft x 2 1/2 )but unfotunatly I never had any babies from them...
> 
> Did your Pekin Robins ever hatch?
> 
> Did you know the species is now on CITES?



No, the Robins never did breed. They need a VERY large, planted aviary and lots of privacy and an endless supply of just the right bugs to feed the babies. They'd do well in a large....say 10' x 30' (overgrown), aviary outside in the summer. Even so, apparently, you can only house one pair per aviary if you want them to breed. At breeding time, they are highly territorial and they won't tolerate other Robins in the area. I found out later that my Robins never did even attempt to breed because I had 6 birds in the greenhouse. If I'd only had one pair, they would've likely tried. However, I have spoken to a breeder who successfully bred them every summer by putting them into a large outdoor flight and supplementing their diet with huge numbers of mealworms. The problem with that is it's a high maintenance thing. The babies cannot eat the mealworms that have a hard outer shell. As the worms grow, they moult now and then. In the few hours after they moult, they are white and soft and juicy. Yum yum for baby birds. But, once they redevelop a hard outer shell, they are no good as baby food. So, in order to have enough mealworms at the right stage of growth at all times for the babies, you need to have many colonies of mealworms on the go at the same time. You end up being a bug breeder with a few birds on the side! Non breeding Peking Robins will eat special softbill food that you can buy in any decent pet shop. However, that adult food is not suitable for feeding to babies. The parents just won't do it.

As for CITES, well....isn't everything on CITES now? Not long ago, Peking Robins were imported and they were common. Now, you only see them at bird shows if a breeder is attending. And if you want to buy some, you'll likely be told "No". The breeders are not keen on releasing any of their birds to just anyone that they don't know. I think they are all very aware that if any birds are wasted and not set up properly for successful breeding, the species will disappear from aviculture forever. So, the people with the birds now are very choosy about who gets to have some of their stock. The captive gene pool is very small and they don't want it to get any smaller. 

David, My favourite Zebra Finches are the normals, the pieds and the dark eyed, pure whites. Is it just me, or does the male's song sound like an old car turing over; but, not starting? Very comical song!

I once bought a pair of dark eyed, pure whites from my local pet shop. About a week later, I happened to be visiting a Gouldian breeder who had a nest of 4 eggs from a red headed, white breasted, yellow bodied female and a red headed, while breasted, double factor yellow bodied male. She had just put the pair back into the flights for a break and she was going to toss the eggs. The babies from those eggs were going to be spectacular...especially the double factor, deep yellow males with red heads and pure white breasts! I must've looked heartbroken at the thought of those eggs going to waste. So, the breeder gave them to me. Although, I had no birds at all on a nest at the time. 

The odds were so much against me; but, I went home and put the two white Zebras in a small cage and gave them a nest box with a nest that I'd made for them. I put in a few dummy eggs and changed their diet to include lots of deep green veggies and high protein foods like mashed hard boild egg and bits of hamburger meat, etc. I also used a hand pump mister and I sprayed the pair each morning with water to give them the sense that the rainy season had arrived! I kept the 4 Gouldian eggs at room temperature, in a dish of seeds (which provides great support when storing tiny finch eggs), in the dark and I turned them 2 or 3 times a day. After 3 days, the Zebra female laid an egg. I immediately removed it and put in the 4 Gouldian eggs. 

Bam!!! Both Mom and Dad adopted the Gouldian eggs and began to incubate them! This pair of birds were like a gift from the bird Gods. They were perfect surrogate parents. 3 of the Gouldian eggs hatched and the Zebras raised them up into beautiful youngsters. I got two red headed, white breasted, yellow bodied females and one stunning red headed, white breasted, double factor yellow bodied male. I had not been able to afford that colour morph; but, now I had some. The Zebra Finches were remarkable in how well they cared for these eggs and babies. Plus, what was more astounding was that they'd only met each other just a few days before I gave them the Gouldian eggs to care for. It was really exciting for me to see that scenario work out so well. I really lucked out when I acquired that pair of Zebras.


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## emydura (Jul 7, 2013)

John M said:


> David, My favourite Zebra Finches are the normals, the pieds and the dark eyed, pure whites. Is it just me, or does the male's song sound like an old car turing over; but, not starting? Very comical song!
> 
> I once bought a pair of dark eyed, pure whites from my local pet shop. About a week later, I happened to be visiting a Gouldian breeder who had a nest of 4 eggs from a red headed, white breasted, yellow bodied female and a red headed, while breasted, double factor yellow bodied male. She had just put the pair back into the flights for a break and she was going to toss the eggs. The babies from those eggs were going to be spectacular...especially the double factor, deep yellow males with red heads and pure white breasts! I must've looked heartbroken at the thought of those eggs going to waste. So, the breeder gave them to me. Although, I had no birds at all on a nest at the time.
> 
> ...



I can't say I'm across all the Zebra Finch mutations, but I was in a pet shop the other day and saw charcoal Zebra's for the first time. WOW. That is a stunning distinctive mutation. They also had a couple of white breasted Gouldians which just look stunning.If I lived in a warmer climate I'd keep some Gouldians.

I enjoyed your surrogate parent story. It is a pity you had to give up breeding them.


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## John M (Jul 7, 2013)

emydura said:


> It is a pity you had to give up breeding them.


 Only 24 hours in a day. Such a shame! It sucks to have to spend time earning a living! I'll get back into it again someday. For now, I go on the Internet and drool over the photos on Gouldian Breeder's pages.


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## Linus_Cello (Jul 7, 2013)

Hopefully this is legitimate. All I can think of is the "supposed" rediscovery of the Ivory-billed woodpecker in Arkansas back in 2004...


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## Erythrone (Jul 7, 2013)

Thanks for the infos about Pekin Robins. I am happy to read some people are able to breeding them!


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