Amazons, macaws and conures, oh, my! The greatly anticipated follow up to our successful PollyVision -- Strictly for Parrots DVD is finally here!

PollyVision II -- Parrots of the Americas includes such parrot luminaries as Thick-billed Parrots, Green-cheeked and Lilac-crowned Amazons, Blue-throated, Red-fronted, Green-winged and Blue and Gold Macaws, Patagonian Conures and more.

A stunning look at our wild parrot friends, this DVD is sure to please pet parrots and their humans alike.

Good news from faraway Atiu in the Cook Islands, South Pacific. Recently translocated Kuhl's Lorikeets (Vini kuhlii), listed as endangered in the wild, are beginning to breed.

The birds were first moved in April 2007, with the help of the World Parrot Trust's Action Grants Programme, the Cook Islands' Natural Heritage Trust and the Zoological Society of San Diego, among others. With careful monitoring and protection by local Atiu people, the lorikeets are settling in and, it appears, settling down.

Watch for an in-depth article coming up in the November 2008 PsittaScene. (Not a member? Join now »)

Braving the border crossings, the long bumpy car-rides and the idiosyncrasies of foreign food, fearless WPT Director of Business Development Steve Milpacher takes his first steps into the fascinating world of Thick-billed Parrot (Rhyncopsitta pachyrhyncha) field research, emerging humbled, joyful and only a little bruised.

Read Steve's article »
 

Genus: Amazona
Species: leucocephala

Where found: parts of Cuba and associated islands

Ecology: Found in pine forest, woodland, palm groves, mangroves, plantations and cultivated areas. Diet includes leaf buds, cones, shoots, fruit, seeds and sometimes cultivated crops.

Status: Near-threatened, Appendix I

Threats: Severe habitat loss, trapping for bird trade, hurricane damage to nest trees and loss of trees from damage inflicted while collecting chicks.

To net, or not to net. That is the question, and according to WPT Bird Care Expert EB Cravens it is certainly nobler not to, and to seek other means of requesting the presence of our feathered friends.

Here he explains some kinder and gentler techniques for "catching" and transporting parrots and other birds.

Read EB's article »
(Best viewed with Adobe Reader)

This unique Canadian organization and WPT supporter works with elementary school educators and youth group leaders in the city of Toronto, bringing instruction about wildlife right to the classroom.

Utilizing educational animals to augment their teachings, Bluebird's programme integrates easily with the "life systems" portion of the Ontario elementary school science curriculum, to help spread the good word about nature and conservation.

With nearly 7,000 students having taken part in their workshops, they have spread the word well.

Visit Bluebird Learning on the web »