Australian Parrot Potentially Faces Extinction Threats From Previously Unidentified Viruses
A critically endangered parrot could be at further risk of extinction after being found to carry a half-dozen novel viruses
Adult female orange-bellied parrot, Neophema chrysogaster, in Melaleuca, Southwest Conservation Area, Tasmania, Australia. (Credit: JJ Harrison / CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED)
Australia’s orange-bellied parrots, Neophema chrysogaster, comprise a tiny and decreasing population of migratory parrots. Conservation of the wild population thus relies heavily on supplemental releases from a managed ‘captive insurance population’ numbering around 500 individuals.
“This parrot already faces numerous threats to its survival in the wild, including habitat loss, predation and small population impacts,” said the newly-published study’s senior author, virologist Subir Sarker. Dr Sarker is a Senior Lecturer at the Townsville campus of the College of Public Health, Medical, and Veterinary Sciences at James Cook University.
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