Amazing moment zoo sets free 49 of Australia's rarest birds
After the wild population plummeted to around 50 birds, a captive breeding program was established to try and prevent the extinction of the species.
Forty-nine of Australia’s rarest birds have been released into the bush to help prevent the species disappearing. The decision was made to captive breed Regent honeyeaters after numbers plummeted to around 50 individuals in the wild.
The winter release was confirmed on Monday, with video supplied to Yahoo News showing the amazing moment the songbirds take flight. It also reveals how birds are individually tagged for monitoring purposes before the doors of portable aviaries are opened.
There have now been 200 captive-bred Regent honeyeaters set free in NSW by Taronga Zoo, taking the population to between 250 and 300. “This latest release of nearly 50 Regent Honeyeaters bred at Taronga Zoo is an exciting step forward in the NSW Government’s plan to save this critically endangered species,” NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said.
Why did Regent honeyeaters disappear from the wild?
In the 1800s, there were reports of thousands of Regent honeyeaters, and even into the 19th Century they were common between Queensland and South Australia. But as with most of Australia’s native species habitat loss, bushfires, invasive predators and climate change have created a perfect storm of threats.
The situation became so dire that four years ago the critically endangered bird began to lose its song because there weren’t enough adult birds to teach important communication sounds to the next generation. Australian National University reported this was particularly problematic for mating because females would avoid males with unusual songs.
The birds were released after a traditional smoking ceremony was conducted on Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council land in the Lower Hunter Valley. “My grandparents and their parents before them had flocks of Regents in their backyard… we want our grandchildren to have them in theirs,” its CEO Tara Dever said.
BirdLife Australia’s Mick Roderick said the bird releases are “vital to the survival” of the species. He called on anyone who spots one of the striking yellow and black birds to report it to them.
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