Peruse any of the species profiles found in the All About Parrots section of the WPT's website at www.parrots.org,  and you'll see an amazing array of information: species names, ecology, breeding and feeding habits, colourful pictures, care tips for pet parrots, and more. And now we've added a few new interesting things.

Now you not only see nearly all of the species of parrot in existence, you can hear them, too! We've just finished adding links to audio clips (courtesy of xeno-canto.org) to the front profile page of over 150 species of parrot in our encyclopedia. You'll see the audio icon below the section dedicated to the description of each bird's call. Click, listen and enjoy!

Also, right beneath the same section you'll find a new search option: Google Scholar. By following the link you'll find all recently published research for that particular species. You'll see abstracts of articles from such diverse areas as the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery to the Cambridge University Press.

Extinction: it's not a word any of us likes to hear. It is a reminder of what is gone, what we have lost, of finality. There are several definitions for this word, but to most people's minds it almost always represents the loss of yet another species in the earth's fragile web; an assault on the vital biodiversity that keeps the planet whole. In mankind's short history tens of thousands of plant and animal species have gone forever, and in no other group of organisms has this been more deeply felt than the avians.

In this class the psittacines, or parrots, possess the largest number of threatened species of any bird family. And there are now over twenty that are deemed extinct in the wild, to never return. In this article the author briefly explores what happened to these lost birds.
 
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Genus: Anodorhynchus
Species: leari
Where found: Confined to the Raso da Catarina plateau, NE Bahia, Brazil.

Ecology: Found in dry thorn scrub terrain, in areas with Syagrus coronata palms. Feeds on Syagrus palm nuts, fruits, agave flowers and maize. Liquid from unripe palm fruit a source of water. Social. Forages before dawn, returning to communal roost at dusk.

Status: Critically endangered, Appendix I
Threats: Habitat loss, hunting, and the wild bird trade.
Wild population: approximately 750 (as of 2007)

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More info on Lear's Macaws »

The vivacity of artist Cynthia Kulp's paintings is immediately apparent from the first moment one's eyes rest on them -- the bright, cheerful colours fully do justice to the brightest and most cheerful of all the birds, the parrots.

The artist uses shade and mood to full effect, as evidenced in the African Grey and Cockatiels at Night prints. An animal with as dramatic colouring as the parrot is often difficult to capture in this art form, but Kulp, who has a lifetime of experience interacting with psittacines, handles the task admirably. 

View Cynthia Kulp's prints:
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UK/World eStore »

The World Parrot Trust would like to introduce Brent Barrett, research scientist, intrepid crusader for endangered parrots and now WPT blogger. Brent has worked extensively with endangered parrots as a research scientist with the Australia and New Zealand governments. His work has included projects for the Kakapo, Western Ground Parrot and Orange Bellied Parrot. More recently he has joined the Blue-throated Macaw team in Bolivia.

Brent believes that the best way to save these species is not just to work harder, but to work smarter and to share these vital techniques across the conservation world. We welcome Brent and his interesting insights to the flock, and hope you enjoy his stories.

Read Brent's first blog »