1. Orange-bellied Parrot
Saving the
Orange-bellied Parrot
Project Management
Captive
Vet
Wild
Ex-DPIPWE
+ Friends of OBP
+ ANU
I am speaking on behalf of the DPIPWE Orange-bellied Parrot Tasmanian Program,
Briefly introduce my awesome team
I’d also like to acknowledge the massive contributions of two ex-DPIPWE staff in setting up and managing wild monitoring program prior to me starting in the role, collecting long term data that I will be using today, Mark Holdsworth and Peter Brown
I’ll be focussing on the conservation management of the wild population.

2. Orange-bellied Parrot
Saving the
Orange-bellied Parrot
Team OBP
Status & Trends
What Next?
Overview of the broader recovery team working on Orange-bellied Parrots across distribution
Primer on the ecology of the species
Run through population trends and current status
Provide an update on our recent population management actions at Melaleuca
Briefly describe what we are planning this season and into the future
OBP Ecology
Population
Update

3. Strategic Action Planning Group
OBP RECOVERY TEAM
Team OBP
Strategic Action Planning Group
Coordination of sub-groups, governance, priority setting.
Government: DPIPWE, DELWP, DEWNR, DEE, Zoos Victoria
Major non-government partners: Moonlit Sanctuary, BirdLife Australia
Veterinary Technical Reference Group
Vet and health advice
Zoos Victoria, DPIPWE, Moonlit Sanctuary, PRIAM, Deakin University, Melbourne University, Charles Sturt University, University of Sydney, DPIPWE, Adelaide Zoo
Captive Management Group
Coordination of captive management Moonlit, PRIAM, Zoos Victoria, Adelaide Zoo, DPIPWE, ZAA
Other Members
Volunteer Coordinators
Australian National University
Zoos and Aquarium Association
Tasmanian Parks
Additional OBP experts
Additional staff as necessary from:
BirdLife Australia, DPIPWE, DELWP, DEWNR
I’m mentioning the wider context because I think in public reporting and commentary on OBPs that there are a lot of partners working on the species recovery. This includes managers, researchers, biologists, captive specialists and vets from Australian, NSW, VIC, SA governments, Zoos Vic, private wildlife parks and breeding facilities, Birdlife Australia, Zoo and Aquarium Association, as well as volunteer groups in every state.
Every decision that is made toward OBP conservation requires cooperation, advice, technical expertise, from at least a few of these partners to achieve best outcome and balance pros and cons of different options.
It’s a complex project and sometimes challenging to make sure we are all on the same page, but also really rewarding when we all agree on a clear direction.
Translocation Planning Group
Analysis to inform priorities and plan allocations of birds to translocations
Genetics advisors, ZAA, PVA advisor, DPIPWE, DELWP, Zoos Victoria

4. Tasmanian Overview DPIPWE Team OBP
Co-ordinate recovery efforts for Tasmania
Monitor wild population at Melaleuca
Occurrence
Nest monitoring
Manage wild population
Translocations
Ranching
Burning
Predator and competitor control
Health and disease

5. Tasmanian Overview Volunteer Program Team OBP
Joint effort – Wildcare Friends of OBP & DPIPWE
FoOBP: recruit, roster, flights, fund
DPIPWE: daily work program, fund
2-4 week stints, September - May
~3000 volunteer hours per season
Volunteer diversity

6. Tasmanian Overview Volunteer Program Team OBP
Monitor and record (4 hours / day)
OBPs and other birds at feed tables
Clean feed tables (1.5 hours / day)
Provide seed
Surveillance presence
Predators and competitors
Health and injuries

7. Australian National University
Tasmanian Overview
Australian National University
Team OBP
Difficult Bird Research Group / Dejan Stojanovic
Nest Intervention
Translocation eggs and nestlings captive to wild
Transfer eggs and nestlings wild to wild
Analysis of recent and long-term data
Important research that informs management

8. OBP Ecology Neophema chrysogaster Small (45g) budgie-sized bird
Not a swift parrot
Not a blue-winged parrot
Ground feeding, seed eating
Breed south-west Tasmania
Now only Melaleuca, TWWHA
Hollow breeding
Up to 6 eggs, ~3 fledglings / year
Life span ~2.2 years
Migratory
For those that like latin, the scientific name of the OBP is neophema chrysogaster.
It’s a small, 45g 20 cm long parrot
It’s most often confused with swift parrot
In appearance it’s similar to a blue-winged parrot.
Breeds only in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area n south-west Tasmania
Naturally uses tree hollows, these days most often breeds in nest boxes that were installed to facilitate monitoring
In wild, generally produces one clutch of up to six eggs and historically produced about 3 fledglings per nest
Average life span is 2.2 years
Migratory – after breeding in summer in TWWHA migrates to coastal south-eastern mainland Australia for winter before returning following spring

9. OBP Ecology Habitat Loss Collection Disease Stochastic Events
Predation
Collection
Competition
Habitat Degradation
Migration Barriers
POPULATION SIZE
Genetic Problems
Hybridisation
Disease
Stochastic Events
ConservationActions
Species has many threats, listed in circles on graph
Important to understand that the threats that caused the species to decline may differ from those that currently threaten it. At the time of European settlement, its likely that facts such as collection by naturalist, habitat loss and degradation and predation by new species like cats and foxes caused populations to decline.
Once population became smaller, other factors that wouldn’t have mattered as much to a large population like genetic diversity, disease, random environmental events like fire or drought, become more important and have a larger effect on a larger proportion of the population, and these processes are more likely to interact.
1770s
Now
TIME

10. Status & Trends
>350 OBPs released at Birchs Inlet
Melaleuca declined 12% / year
“Must now be vary rare everywhere…gradually becoming extinct”
First Recovery Team & Plan
OBPs extinct Birchs Inlet
First OBPs collected
NSW & TAS,
abundant
First systematic surveys TWWHA
1770s
1917
1979
Here I just have a short timeline on important events in OBP history
1880s
1970s
1981
2017
Still lots, but: “Everyone shooting these birds”
Population < 200
DPIPWE establish first captive population
Melaleuca demographic monitoring commenced
19 OBPs return for breeding

11. Population
Update
So the black line and symbols graph shows you the size of the OBP population at Melaleuca since monitoring began in 1992
Decline 2002 – 2008
Decline but stable since 2010.
Red circles show number of females, down to 3 in 2017, especially a problem because there were 16 males. Very imbalanced sex ratio

12. Population Update Translocation – Release Captive to Wild
Translocation aims
increase breeding pairs, balance sex ratio
Captive population ~390 at 6 institutions
DPIPWE holds 175
Birds selected by relatedness, behaviour, health
Quarantine & health screen
Transport to Melaleuca via Melbourne & Hobart
Hold in Melaleuca aviaries 4-7 days, soft release
Aim of translocation, or moving captive birds from wild to captive populations, is to increase the number of breeding pairs, and by mostly releasing females, balance the sex ratio so even numbers of male and females
Can the captive population sustain this? Yes.
3-4 month process
Once selected, flown in boxes
Hold in pre-release aviaries for 4-7 days, soft release

13. Population Update Translocation Survival
13-27 captive birds released each spring since 2013
Most captive birds survive translocation and season
Few captive birds survive migration
No difference in survival of captive males and females

14. Population Update Within Season Survival
Survival at Melaleuca similar for captive and wild OBPs
No difference in survival of sexes

15. Population Update Annual Survival
Big difference in annual survival of captive and wild OBPs
Compared to long term average:
Wild adult survival as expected
Wild juvenile survival low
Captive adult survival similar to wild juvenile survival

16. Population Update Number of Nests
Captive releases have increased # of breeding pairs and nests

17. Population Update Clutch Size
Clutch size has decreased, similar for captive and wild

18. Population Update Hatching Success
Hatching success has decreased, similar for captive and wild

19. Population Update Fledglings per Nest
Fledging pre nest has decreased, similar for captive and wild

20. Lessons Learnt Population Update
At Melaleuca, captive OBPs survive and breed as well as wild OBPs
Captive OBPs do not migrate as well as wild adult OBPs
Captive OBP young migrate as well as wild OBP young
Juvenile survival has decreased
Reproductive success has decreased
Must manage threats of small population

21. Lessons Learnt Population Update
Breeding by captive OBPs prevented wild extinction
BUT
Captive OBPs migrate poorly SO
Just translocating adult OBPs at Melaleuca will not save the wild
Wild population management has been subject of a number of exciting headlines over the four years I’ve been involved in the wild program, and this was one of my favourites…..
So what next?

22. 2018/19 Season What Next? Captive releases - 32 adults at Melaleuca
- 12 adults at New Harbour
- 20 juveniles at Melaleuca
- 24 adults near Werribee
2. Ranching
3. New technology for monitoring
4. Nest intervention
5. Ecological burning
6. New captive breeding facility
7. Predator, competitor, health management

23. Orange-bellied Parrot
Saving the
Orange-bellied Parrot
Thank
You!