Cape Parrots are critically endangered in South Africa, having undergone a population collapse over the last 50 - 100 years.

Rampant logging in their natural habitat over the past 300 years of has left the Capes with remnant forest patches threatened by mismanagement and deforestation. These remaining forest areas form the stronghold of the remaining Cape Parrots in the wild.

Unfortunately, the small remaining wild population is faced by two additional threats: capture for the lucrative wild-caught bird trade, and disease (specifically Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PFBD).

The Cape Parrot Project in the Eastern Cape, South Africa has recently been launched to developing a comprehensive research and conservation strategy to save these birds.

With your help our immediate plans are to:

1. Study 100 Cape Parrots over 36 months in local pecan orchards to take blood for PBFD testing, blood screening, and DNA archiving (for trade regulation);
    
2. Erect 100 nest boxes in the Afromontane mixed yellowwood mistbelt forest along the Amathole mountain range;
    
3. Conduct in-depth aerial and ground surveys of forest condition, resource abundance and fruiting phenology throughout their Eastern Cape range
    
4. Study the feeding behavior of Cape Parrots in the wild over 36 months;
    
5. Identify annual periods when Cape Parrots are vulnerable to capture;
    
6. Protect and possibly supplementary feed wild breeding pairs at nest cavities during breeding season;
    
7. Mount small GPS dataloggers linked into the cellphone network onto 30 Cape Parrots to monitor their movements between forest patches and the coastal regions.

We need to turn the tide and protect this remaining wild population. We can't wait for the forests to regenerate. We need to put up nest boxes, set up supplementary feeding stations, vaccinate against disease, and support and monitor all breeding activity.

We need to do this now, as a matter of urgency. Please donate today!