Parrots of Africa, Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands , livre ebook

Parrots’ colour and charisma, coupled with the fact that they mimic human speech, make them fascinating to many people. They are ancient birds with unique bill and foot structures that enable them to forage in the canopy of forests and also in grasslands. Because they depend on fruits and seeds all year round, most species are confined to the tropics or subtropics, where the world’s biodiversity is greatest. There are over 300 species of parrots, of which more than 100 are recognised as rare, endangered, vulnerable or threatened. Parrots are largely distributed in developing countries where economies are uncertain, and where there is great dependence on the exploitation of natural resources. Unfortunately, high levels of corruption are common to these regions, with much illegal trade in animals. However, research, education and conservation actions are reducing illegal trade in African parrots. This book provides complete coverage of all aspects of the biology of extant African, Malagasy and Mascarene parrots, and reviews our knowledge of extinct and fossil parrots from the region. It will appeal to ornithologists, conservation biologists, avian ecologists, academics, birdwatchers and parrot fans alike. It is illustrated with original photographs and includes distribution maps, figures and tables.
Chapter 1. Introduction
What is a parrot?
Plumage
Social behaviour
Habits
Activity
Roosting
Movements
Habitat
The parrots of Africa
Phylogeny, systematics and taxonomy of parrots
Chapter 2. Conservation biology
Ignorance about the survival of Africa’s parrots
Risk of extinction
Status and conservation. an introduction
Deforestation. a crucial issue
Effect of nest poaching on the viability of populations of wild parrots
Poaching, habitat destruction and conservation strategies
Trade figures for African parrots
Conservation status in detail
Conservation through education
Chapter 3. Systematics
Evolutionary history (phylogeny)
Not the missing link
The fossil history of parrots
The extinct parrots of the Mascarene Islands
Systematics and evolution of the genus Agapornis
Molecular systematics of some African parrots
Chapter 4. Biogeography and niche separation
Avian community structures in Africa
Zoogeography
Ecological separation of African parrots and lovebirds
Why is the parrot family so rich in species?
Chapter 5. Intelligence, communication and behaviour
Intelligence
Vocal communication
Behaviour
Chapter 6. Breeding biology
Flocking
Helpers
Cooperative breeding
Clutch size and asynchronous hatching
Competition for nest cavities by lovebirds
Nesting biology of the Black-cheeked Lovebird
Chapter 7. Diet and metabolism
Food and feeding
Metabolism
Chapter 8. Case study – the Cape Parrot
Needs and actions
Distribution and origin
Study sites
Numbers
Activity and abundance
Feeding biology
Breeding biology
Vocalisations
Behaviour
Conservation
Taxonomic status
Chapter 9. Trade in African Parrots
Sustainable harvesting
Modelling markets for African parrots
Trade in African Grey Parrots
Trade in Fischer’s Lovebirds
Trade in Madagascan parrots
Chapter 10. African Parrot conservation
Parrots and humans
The IUCN Parrot Action Plan
Applying the plan to Africa
CITES and parrots in international trade
The Parrot Species of Africa
Keys to the genera and species of parrots of Africa and adjace-nt islands
IUCN categories
Chapter 11. Long-tailed and fossil Parrots
Order Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family Psittacidae (African and South American parrots)
Subfamily Psittacinae (African parrots)
Family Psittrichasidae
Subfamily Coracopseinae
Family Psittaculidae
Subfamily Psittaculinae
Chapter 12. True Parrots
Order Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family Psittacidae (African and South American parrots)
Subfamily Psittacinae (African parrots)
Chapter 13. Lovebirds
Order Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family Psittaculidae (Parrots, cockatoos, lories and lorikeets)
Subfamily Agapornithidae (Lovebirds, hanging parrots and ‘mountain parakeets’)
Chapter 14. Field techniques in Parrot research
Field marks and field guides
Recording bird song in the field
Keeping field notes
Ringing wild parrots
Measuring and weighing birds
Field censusing
Species lists
Common and scientific names of birds
Common and scientific names of parrots
Common and scientific names of vertebrates other than birds
Scientific names of invertebrates
Common and scientific names of plants