Bird Is the Word this Winter

Eastern Bristlebird Babies Are on the Way

Even though it’s winter, our conservation efforts to save the Eastern Bristlebird species don’t take a break. The 1st of July presented us with our first Eastern Bristlebird nest of the season! The Eastern Bristlebirds typically only have a ‘down time’ of about two months between breeding seasons, which barely allows us time to upgrade their habitats, conduct health checks and set up new pairings, before the breeding season starts all over again.

Check out this video of new wild male ‘Ash’ adjusting to life at Garima.

Why the Eastern Bristlebird Program Matters

Our Eastern Bristlebird program is one of the most important bird breeding programs in Australia. The Eastern Bristlebird species faces a very real threat of extinction without intervention.

The breeding program takes place at Garima, a property on the Gold Coast, Australia. It is not open to the public, but you can keep up to date with the program’s success here.

Macleay’s Fig-Parrot Breeding Begins

July also marks the start of our Macleay’s Fig-parrot breeding season. These beautiful birds are currently getting ‘busy’ with their newly installed nest boxes. The Macleay’s fig parrot is the smallest parrot species in Australia. These gorgeous little birds are the analogue species for the critically endangered Coxen’s Fig-parrot. An analogue species can be used to help better understand or even restore ecological functions to other species that might be close to extinction. The information we gather about the Macleay’s fig-parrot, will hopefully help us in the future conservation of the Coxen’s Fig-parrot. Our team currently has audio acoustic monitors in the field to detect and follow up reported sightings for critically endangered Coxen’s Fig-Parrot.

Come and See the Macleay’s Fig-parrot 

You can get a close up look of the beautiful Macleay’s Fig-parrot by visiting our Conservation Aviary.