The Echo Parakeet Psittacula eques was once common on Mauritius but began to decline in numbers and range in the mid 1800’s. By 1986 the population was estimated to be between 8 and 12 individuals. It is thought that due to the discovery of previously unrecorded breeding groups the minimum population may have never been less than 20. The present wild Echo Parakeet population is restricted to an area of less than 40 km2 of remnant native upland forest within the 6800 Ha Black River Gorges National Park, created in 1993.

Since its colonisation, exotic mammals such as Ship Rats Rattus rattus and Crab-eating Macaques Macaca fascicularis have had a devastating predatory effect on the Echo Parakeet. Also, exotic birds such as Indian Mynahs Acridotheres tristis and Ring-neck Parakeets Psittacula kramerii are common and compete with the Echo Parakeet for food and nesting sites.

Conservation efforts to recover the Echo Parakeet were initiated by the Forestry Service and the International Council for Bird Preservation in the early 1970s and intensified by the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF) and the National Parks and Conservation Service since 1987.

Techniques used in the past include habitat protection and improvement using fenced and weeded forest Conservation Management Areas (CMAs), rat control around nest sites, manipulation of breeding pairs including egg harvesting and chick fostering, supplementary feeding and provision of nest boxes. Between 1993 and 1997 the management efforts were further refined. From 1997 onwards emphasis was on protection of nest sites (from predators, competitors and weather), providing additional nest sites in the form of nest boxes, supplementary feeding wild birds, manipulation of wild broods (downsizing and upsizing (augmenting)), regular inspection of active nests and weighing of chicks, rescuing sick or underweight chicks, hand rearing and releasing chicks back to the wild. In the past few seasons up to fourteen chicks have been produced annually by captive birds at the GDEWS. Some of these were used in brood manipulations in the wild but most of them boosted the number of chicks released to the wild. The Echo Parakeet was until very recently one of the most intensively managed avian species in the world.

With the population projected to surpass three hundred birds, the 2005/2006 breeding season was to be the final year of intensive management for the programme. However an outbreak of the highly contagious and fatal Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) during 2005 forced a change of management early in the 2005/2006 season. The programme is now working to a minimal management strategy, aiming to minimise the risk of spreading PBFD between the birds, whilst ensuring continued good breeding productivity. A major aim is to screen the population for PBFD, to learn things such as how virulent and widespread the disease is amongst the wild population.

The Echo Parakeet population has increased from the 8-12 birds estimated in 1986 to between 309 and 335 birds in April 2006. A record 54 chicks fledged in the 2005/2006 season. The increases in recent years are the result of higher numbers of chicks surviving to fledging due to the intensive management strategies used by the programme and the consequent increase in the number of breeding age birds. The Echo Parakeet Programme is one of the world’s most successful parrot recovery programmes.

Sponsored By:
Chester Zoo (North of England Zoological Society)
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
IBL Shipping, Aviation & Other Services
National Parks and Conservation Service
World Parrot Trust

Last update: 18 February 2007