New research reveals only few hundred of swift parrot remains

It was once believed there were fewer than 2000 swift parrots remaining, but new research shows the numbers are much more grim for the critically endangered bird.

The critically endangered swift parrot is being pushed to the brink of extinction. Picture: David Adams

Scientists have confirmed the critically endangered swift parrot is likely to only have a few hundred left in the wild – with numbers rapidly declining.

Australian National University (ANU) researchers previously estimated the number could be as low as 300 in 2020, but using new methods, the researchers are now confident the remaining population is about 500.

“The swift parrot is critically endangered – our conservation strategies depend on knowing how many birds are still alive in the wild,” co-author Dr Dejan Stojanovic said.

“We need this information in order to work out how much time we have left to save them from extinction.

“We found that despite using a different method, we got a similar result – the new method just gave us a little more precision.”

Dr Dejan Stojanovic with Zorro. Scientists from the Australian National University’s (ANU) Difficult Bird Research Group hope a specially trained dog named Zorro can save one of Australia’s most elusive bird species. Must Credit: Difficult Bird Research Group, ANU

Swift parrots breed in Eastern Tasmania but migrate to the mainland to search for food. Population numbers were believed to be fewer than 2000 with the decline of the species linked with habitat loss.

But the population numbers are much more grim.

Co-author Dr George Olah said he’s confident there are only about 500 swift parrots remaining.

“These results confirm we are running out of time to save the swift parrot. No matter which way you look at it, the number of surviving individuals is tiny,” he said.

Swift Parrot chicks. Picture: Dejan Stojanovic/ANU

Using a decade’s worth of data and genetic testing, the researchers were able to update their sample size of the parrots for more accurate results, which was published in Ecology and Evolution.

“By searching for nesting swift parrots over 10 years, we collected one of the largest genetic datasets for any threatened bird in Australia,” Dr Stojanovic said.

“Swift parrots are declining in large part due to logging of their Tasmanian breeding habitat.

“Our results add to a mountain of evidence that swift parrots will go extinct unless we urgently change how we manage Tasmanian forests.”