The parrots of Trinidad

■ Molly R Gaskin

president, Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust

THERE are 315 species of parrots in the world, most in the New World in the Amazon Basin and Australia. Africa and India have some popular members of this family. China and other oriental countries have some varieties. The Philippine islands have others, and many of the South Pacific islands boast a wide range of parrot types.

However, it is Australia that provides the largest selection of the world's really exotic parrots. All are typically forest birds and eat nuts, seeds, fruits and berries. Some eat insects and drink nectar.

There are two species that belong to Trinidad, blue and yellow macaw ( Ara ararauna) and red-bellied macaw ( Ara manilata), this family can live 50 to 100 years. We should be planting more trees especially the Moriche Palms and Sandbox trees.

Of all animals, parrots are the best at imitating human speech and learn to talk only in captivity. There is a large illegal trade for these birds as many parrots and macaws are seriously endangered, some, like Trinidad's blue and yellow macaw ( Ara ararauna) was almost once locally extinct.

The Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust has been breeding this species to re-populate locally. The Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust has bred and released blue and gold (yellow) macaws and released them in the Nariva Wetlands, Central Trinidad, Tobago and the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, in the Heritage, Paria, Pointe-a-Pierre Estate.

HANGINGOUT:Blueandgoldmacaws( Ara ararauna).

IN THE SUNSHINE: Yellow-headed Amazon parrot, the yellow-crowned Amazon or yellow-crownedparrot( Amazona ochrocephala).