Latest news with #macaw
CTV News
6 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Extreme heat is threatening tropical birds, even in untouched forests, scientists warn
A macaw is seen at Santa Sofia Uchuma community, near Leticia, Amazonas department, Colombia, on November 19, 2020. (Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource) From the rainforests of Central and South America to the savannas of northern Australia, the world's equatorial regions are home to thousands of unique bird species, from macaws to toucans to hummingbirds, who thrive in hot and humid environments. But as climate change accelerates, tropical regions are seeing ten times the number of dangerously hot days than they did 40 years ago, threatening the survival of some of the world's most colourful birds, new research shows. Between 1950 and 2020, extreme heat events reduced tropical bird populations by 25% to 38%, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution. The study shows extreme heat events are a 'primary driver of species loss' — which can explain why even bird populations in some of the most pristine corners of Earth are dwindling, said James Watson, a professor in conservation science at the University of Queensland and one of the study's authors. 'It really points to the fact that we've got to get greenhouse gas emissions sorted out, because these extreme heat scenarios are going to increase over time,' Watson said. Watson and his colleagues analyzed more than 90,000 scientific observations from more than 3,000 bird populations and matched it with daily weather records dating back to 1940, to see how bird populations responded to extreme weather events, including rainfall and heatwaves. They tested their findings against data on human industrial activity to focus specifically on impacts from climate change. Aracari toucan, tropical bird A collared aracari toucan sitting on the moss branch in the forest, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica. (Ondrej Prosicky/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The scientists found that exposure to heat extremes (temperatures which exceeded the 99th percentile) led to a reduction in bird populations at latitudes below 55 degrees north or south, with the most extreme effects felt in the tropics, meaning latitudes below 23 degrees. The authors found the increase in heat extremes was more detrimental to birds than annual average temperature increases caused by climate change. Extreme heat poses grave threat to tropical birds The notion that bird populations are steeply declining is not new – a 2019 study found bird populations in the US and Canada have dropped by 30% since 1970, signifying a loss of almost 3 billion birds. However, much of this loss has been attributed to more direct human impacts, such as habitat loss from farming, logging and mining, or even building collisions. The study underscores the threat extreme heat poses to birds in tropical regions and helps explain why birds are dying even in remote and protected areas, typically considered havens of biodiversity. In two undisturbed rainforests in Panama and the Amazon, bird populations declined by more than 50% for the majority of species between 1977 and 2020, and between 2003 and 2022, respectively, according to the study. When birds are exposed to extreme heat, they can become hyperthermic, where their body temperature is elevated to a dangerous level. Since birds can't sweat, under these conditions, they may start to pant or expose more of their skin to try to release the heat. Golden bowerbird, tropical bird A golden bowerbird in Queensland, Australia. (sohnjoo c 2013/imageBROKER/Shutterstock via CNN Newsource) The bird may become dehydrated or disoriented, and in some cases, lose consciousness and fall from their perches. Exposure to extreme heat can also cause organ damage in birds and hinder their reproductive capacity. Part of what makes the tropics such important areas for biodiversity is also what makes them particularly fragile to climate change. 'It's almost the perfect storm,' said Golo Maurer, the director of bird conservation strategy at Birdlife Australia. In tropical areas, you find species with small populations that have found their niche in a very narrow band of temperatures, said Maurer, who was not involved in the study. 'This, in turn, drives amazing diversity.' But when temperatures increase beyond these comfortable bands, tropical birds struggle to adapt, Watson said. 'They've got far smaller populations, and their evolutionary capacity is much, much smaller,' Watson said. 'Another wake-up call' Maurer said the study shows 'we can't just sit back' and assume species will be safe because they are in protected areas. 'Climate change is so pervasive that it will affect those areas as well,' he said. Maurer said he has noticed how climate change is affecting birds in his tropical home of north Queensland, Australia, an area known for its biodiversity with a large number of endemic birds. For example, BirdLife's volunteer observers have been having to go to higher elevations to spot golden bowerbirds, small yellow birds which have a small range and live in the rainforest in Queensland, Maurer said. Watson said the study should serve as 'another wake-up call that greenhouse gas emissions and climate change are a major problem for biodiversity.' 'We have to abate climate change as a primary strategy, because we will lose vast numbers of species in the tropics if we don't.' By Lex Harvey, CNN
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Bird lovers flock to adopt parrot who is ‘rated R, parental advisory required'
Animal shelter employees were enjoying a rare quiet moment in the lobby when a yell came from a room designated for small animals: 'Shut the f--- up.' Four employees looked at one another in confusion. Then the shriek came again. The culprit? Hendrix, a blue-and-gold macaw who came to the shelter the prior month, surrendered by his longtime owner. The cursing only became louder after that late-May afternoon. Chantelle Rogers, administrative assistant at the Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River, Massachusetts, was tasked with writing a blurb to help Hendrix get adopted. She opted for honesty. 'If you adopt Hendrix, you're basically adopting Samuel L. Jackson,' Rogers wrote on Facebook, referring to the actor who is known, in part, for his delivery of profanity-laced dialogue in movies. 'This bird's language is not for the faint of heart.' Her post only made people more interested. Thousands of people shared the post, which got traction for its candor and its humor. The next day, the shelter received a windfall of about 60 adoption applications, prompting employees to close applications that day. One person was soon selected, and Hendrix's new owner took the parrot home June 21 after hearing the bird curse a few times. 'It's so quiet without him,' Rogers told The Washington Post. 'We do definitely miss him, but we know he's where he's supposed to be.' Hendrix first arrived at the shelter in April. He was surrendered to Fall River Animal Control by his prior owner of two decades, said Cynthia Berard-Cadima, the department's supervisor. Blue-and-gold macaws can live for more than 70 years, according to the Australia Zoo, and Rogers said Hendrix is about 30 years old. Rogers said the first person who popped into her mind when she saw the colorful macaw was the late singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. But many of Hendrix's feathers were missing on his roughly 3-foot-tall body and 40-inch-wide wingspan, Rogers said, probably due to malnutrition. The shelter mainly houses cats and dogs, so Hendrix was the only parrot in a room with a few rabbits and a guinea pig. Hendrix was initially scared of people, shaking when an employee approached his cage. The shelter bought Hendrix an extra-large Chewy pineapple toy that employees hung in the parrot's cage and discovered the bird's favorite treats: strawberries, blueberries, dried bananas and peanuts. A few weeks after arriving, Hendrix began opening up, saying 'cracker' when the parrot wanted a dried banana chip and 'thank you' when he received one. Hendrix once told Rogers: 'Good morning, baby.' Hendrix chirped when he wanted attention and tried to mimic barking noises he heard from the shelter's dogs. Near the end of May, employees heard Hendrix curse for the first time. After that, Hendrix used more vulgar language — and said it louder. A new employee was cleaning Hendrix's cage near the beginning of June when the parrot cursed at him. Employees told customers that if they hear profanities, it's coming from a parrot who wants attention, not a person. Hendrix might've learned the vulgar words by hearing them in his previous home, Rogers said, but his foul language probably meant he was becoming more comfortable at the shelter. Hoping to discourage Hendrix's language, employees turned around or left the room to laugh after Hendrix cursed. 'How do you not laugh at that? Like, the bird just cussed you out,' Rogers, 32, said with a laugh. 'So, like, you have to react at some point.' While his language remained salty, Hendrix grew new feathers by eating soft-pellet bird food. By mid-June, Rogers said, Hendrix was ready to be adopted. 'One day he will call you baby and the next day he's calling you MFer I guess is the politest way to type it out,' Rogers wrote on Facebook on June 11. 'He says thank you when you give him snacks but will also tell you to shut up.' 'This bird is rated R, parental advisory required, a real sour patch kid if one side was sugar and the other side was arsenic,' Rogers added. Rogers wrote near the end of the post that they sought an owner for Hendrix who has a cage and experience owning large birds. She added that the owner can't live in an apartment or have children 'because he is loud and explicit.' When one commenter asked whether the shelter can be more specific about the profanity Hendrix uses, Rogers replied: 'Facebook will ban me if I repeat them.' When Rogers went to work the following day, the shelter had received about 30 adoption applications from across the United States and Canada, and more would come in throughout the day. On June 12, nearly 28 hours after posting the advertisement, the shelter added to the top of its post 'APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED!' 'And just like that, I learned way more about most people than I wanted to,' Rogers wrote on Facebook a few days later. Shelter employees narrowed the applicants to the five most qualified and invited them to meet Hendrix. One woman who already had a room and toys in her house for birds she previously owned was the perfect fit, Rogers said. When the owner took Hendrix home, Hendrix cursed a few times when employees moved his cage. After he left, the shelter became quieter; vulgar language no longer overlapped with dogs barking. Rogers said the owner emailed her a few days later, saying that Hendrix is beginning to feel comfortable. He might be ready to let a new torrent of obscenities fly.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
B.C. man drives around with exotic bird perched in classic car
Adam finds out what happens when a toddler who loves birds meets a macaw who loves car rides. Adam finds out what happens when a toddler who loves birds meets a macaw who loves car rides. PARKSVILLE, B.C. — When Evalyn Fitzsimmons walked out on her balcony to look through her binoculars to look for her young daughter's favourite things, she expected to find the usual birds. 'Quinn looks up at them,' Evalyn smiles at her toddler. 'And when the ravens do that throaty sound, she's like blah-blah-bloop-bloop.' When Quinn's not answering the call of the wild birds perched on the tree across the street, she's asking to visit the injured ones being rehabilitated at the animal sanctuary. So, you can imagine how the toddler felt when she noticed, riding in a classic car on the street below them, an unusual bird. 'Is that a macaw?' Quinn's dad David Kelleher yells down from the balcony. 'Yeah,' Jim Turner answers as the blue and gold macaw perches on the car's windshield. After David asks if Quinn can come down and meet the motoring macaw, Jim stops the car and introduces us to Admiral Nelson. 'He's a good companion,' Jim says as Admiral Nelson alternated between sitting on his arm and climbing up his shoulder to snuggle up near his neck. 'He's a very good companion.' Jim says Admiral Nelson first bonded with him when the bird was a baby, and for the past 25 years the macaw has followed his man everywhere. 'He's been in schools, he's been in hospitals, he's been in old folks' homes,' Jim says. 'Even when I'm in the shower he's on my shoulder.' And whenever Jim gets the car ready, Admiral Nelson jumps up on his perch in the passenger seat. The bird seems to relish the rides and the people they meet along the way. 'The worst thing for him was COVID. He had to stay home for a year and a half,' Jim says. 'That's when he started pulling feathers, which is what parrots do when they're unhappy.' But as soon as they returned to visiting others, Jim says Admiral Nelson's plucking decreased, feathers increased, and mood took flight. 'He's a flock animal,' Jim says. 'And people are his flock.' And today, Admiral Nelson is expanding his flock by raising one of his legs to include Quinn and her family. 'Kids started waving at him,' Jim says as Admiral Nelson lifts his leg again. 'So that's why he's waving now.' Quinn responds by raising her arm in return, before sharing more than a few smiles. 'Anytime I can put a smile on people's faces, it's a good day,' Jim tells them. So, the next time Quinn and her mom are searching for birds up in the trees, they'll also look down from their balcony on the road, in the hope of waving at their new feathered friend driving by.
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Arrgh you joking? Tesco pensioner stuns shoppers by bringing his pet PARROT with him to buy groceries
On a balance of probabilities, parrots are more likely to be spotted walking the plank than walking down the ready meals aisle of a major supermarket. But that was exactly the scene that greeted one customer, who was left stunned after spotting a pensioner with a colourful parrot perched upon his shoulder in his local Tesco. Named Bella, the 12-year-old exotic bird prompted the stunned man to capture his unusual encounter on video. Posting the footage to X, the astonished man can't help but exclaim, 'That is something unbelievable. Oh my God,' as he spots the red-and-green macaw. 'See the parrot, man, in Tesco,' he continues. After approaching the otherwise unperturbed owner, the man says: 'How are we uncle, you OK? Lovely parrot, man. How old is it?' After being told the bird is aged 12, the curious bystander asks whether the bird speaks. 'She does when she wants,' replies her owner. Man brings his parrot along with him on his Tesco shop 🦜🛒 (TikTok: mr_w1cked1) — UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) June 6, 2025 He went on to add that she could fly off 'if she wants to', but remained firmly on the man's shoulder as he casually walked down each aisle to pick up his groceries. 'That is good man, you've trained her well,' the surprised customer told the bird owner, before bidding him farewell. Green-winged macaws are the second largest parrots next to the hyacinth macaw and can reach flight speeds of up to 35mph. They have a very powerful beak which can generate a pressure of 2000 psi (pounds per square inch) and have the ability to crack open incredibly hard-shelled nuts, such as Brazil nuts with ease. Parrots mainly eat seeds, fruits, blossoms, buds, leaves, berries, nuts and sometimes bark - and do indeed enjoy the occasional cracker as well.
