This story was produced in collaboration with Bellingcat. JAKARTA — A new report by Mongabay and independent journalism organization Bellingcat has uncovered several Facebook groups selling protected species in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. In a Facebook group whose Indonesian name translates to “West Bogor Animal Selling and Trading Forum,” […]
Tag: parrots
Rare parrots return to Atlantic Forest fragment after decades of silence
Twenty brilliantly colored red-browed amazons took flight over a reserve holding one of the few remaining intact swaths of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. The green-and-red parrots had been missing from Alagoas state for generations. In January 2025, the birds returned home. Researchers say releasing the red-browed amazons (Amazona rhodocorytha) will help the species rebound and […]
36 extraordinary, astonishing bird facts, including a bird that has killed humans, a bird that likes to get drunk and one that can fly backwards
Did you know flamingoes are pink on the inside as well as the outside? Or how about the wild bird that’s over 70 years old? And have you ever wondered why woodpeckers don’t get concussion from their never-ending pecking? We’ve rounded up some of the most extraordinary facts about birds and their fascinating world….. 32 […]
With ‘terrifying’ trade in African hornbills, scientists call for increased protection
For millions of years, the African landscape — the rainforests, woodlands, savannas and scrublands — has echoed with the booms and cackles of large, raucous, strange-looking birds: hornbills. When U.S. ornithologist Nico Arcilla came to Gabon in the late 1990s as a Peace Corps volunteer, these noisy birds enchanted her. “There’d be a big flock […]
Orange-bellied parrots have swelled back from imminent extinction – but now they face a new threat
One of Australia‘s most critically endangered bird species has started arriving at Melaleuca, in Tasmania’s south-western world heritage area. By late this week, six orange-bellied parrots had turned up at the remote outpost to breed, having made the weeks-long flight from the mainland, across Bass Strait and down the state’s wild west coast. Relatively little […]
Man stuffed 6 parrots in his boots in bizarre border smuggling attempt, officials say
A man was caught attempting to smuggle parrots into California after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers noticed “unusual clothing bulges” around his ankles and discovered six birds stuffed into his boots, authorities said. The bizarre incident happened April 30, when Customs and Border Patrol Agents pulled aside a 51-year-old man applying for admission to […]
Record-Breaking Migration of Orange-Bellied Parrot Will be Flying High After Years of Conservation Work Pays Off
With the news headlines around the COP events full of general doom and gloom about species decline, it’s worth taking the time to meet one lucky bird that’s on the mend. From as few as 17 known individuals, the orange-bellied parrots of Tasmania now number in the low hundreds after years of hard conservation work. […]
In São Paulo, free-flight lessons help teach macaws to survive in the wild
“I remember my grandfather telling me about the macaws in this region. So, it’s impossible not to smile seeing them back. We know where they sleep and feed, so every time we want to find them, we know where they are,” says biologist Humberto Mendes, a professor at the Federal University of Alfenas in Brazil‘s […]