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Ibis

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Edited By: Dominic McCafferty (Editor in Chief)
Print ISSN: 0019-1019 Online ISSN: 1474-919X
Published on behalf of British Ornithologists' Union
Impact Factor: 2.234

December 21, 2015

Wild Populations of Popular Cage Bird Face Catastrophic Declines

New research suggests that wild populations of Grey Parrots—one of the world’s most popular cage birds—have been virtually wiped out by poaching and habitat loss.

Working in Ghana, scientists estimate that 90% to 99% of the species’ population has been lost since 1992, and the same pattern is likely to hold true across the rest of the species’ range.

“These are extremely serious losses in this iconic species. If we are not very careful, then wild Grey Parrots will be lost both from the landscapes of West Africa and from people’s memories,” said Prof. Stuart Marsden, author of the Ibis study.