Last dozens of Indian Ringneck Parrots left on Seychelles Islands. The government hired a special team from New Zealand to eradicate this invasive species. Hunters are now focused on western part of the main island Mahé. The purpose of this action is to protect native Vasa Parrots which are in intensive competition with invasive birds for food and nest sites.
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“We are currently concentrating our efforts in the Port-Glaud district,” said the project coordinator, Laurent Leit, to SNA.
It is very difficult to locate position of these birds because they left in broken terrain. According to Leit, their green coloration makes the whole process even more difficult because they are almost invisible in the trees. “These birds are very intelligent. If you’ve attacked them in one spot and they managed to escape, they will not return to that same spot and this makes our work more difficult,” added the coordinator.
Indian Ringneck Parrots are not just threat for native parrots but also for farmers whose crops they devastate.
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The first “green parrots” got on Seychelles Islands in 1970 as pets. A few years after that, some birds escaped and acclimatized in the wild. Their population started growing fast and just before shooting it counted more than 500 individuals. In 2003, Seychellois government decided to eradicate Indian Ringneck Parrots from the whole country. The first attemps were not much successful but after 13 years of trying there are now a few last birds living.
“They usually nest in the Anse Royale region, in the east of Mahé, and during the day they migrate to other districts in the western region of the island,” said Leit.
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Most of the Indian Ringneck population is found on Mahé Island. However, a few birds have been also observed on Praslin and Silhouette. On Praslin, these invasive parrots threaten natural reserve Vallée de Mai, the only nest site of rare species Seychelles Parrot (Coracopsis barklyi). There are less than a thousand of these birds in the wild. The nest site and food competition is not the only threat. Invasive birds spread among Seychelles Parrots dangerous PBFD which did not occur there before. This was the main reason why Seychelles Island Foundation asked European Union for support.
European grant should prevent migration of Indian Ringnecks from Mahé to Praslin Island. Distance between those islands is just 45km.
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“The ring-necked parakeets are highly invasive and if they manage to reach Vallee de Mai, they will definitely destroy the local species,” said Leit.
The foundation announced to pay 15 US dollars to everybody who reports observation of the Indian Ringneck. If this report leads to death of that bird the person will receive 150 US dollars.
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