Night Parrot discovered in Western Australia for the first time in over 100 years gives conservationists hope for the future of the Endangered species.

(Click here to read Part 1)

Conservationists are excited after a confirmed siting of Australia’s Endangered Night Parrot in Western Australia. Night Parrots were presumed extinct for over a century until 2013 when a small population was rediscovered in Queensland, Australia. Since then conservationists have been working to protect the elusive birds.

The discovery was made by a group of four friends who have been searching for seven years to find a population in Western Australia. Upon their discovery, they were able to photograph the night parrot which makes this the first verified sighting of the species in the region in over 100 years. The group heard the distinctive call and Bruce Greatwich, one of the members of the team commented:

The calls to us were unfamiliar. We are quite experienced in these habitats so to hear something new was quite exciting.

The friends thought the call was different than the one that had been recorded by researchers in 2005, but the next morning George Swann stumbled upon one while searching for another bird in the Spinifex. Greatwich commented:

We were elated, as excited as you could be. To have something happen that we have worked towards for a long time and lots of people have tried to achieve … we were clearly very, very excited.

The four friends took on the search for the Night Parrot for fun and are sharing the credit for the discovery amongst themselves. For fear of poachers the team will not disclose where they found the birds but, researchers say it is clear evidence that the species can and does live in Western Australia.

The discovery in Western Australia follows last year’s Diamantina National Park population discovery in Southwest Queensland. Atticus Fleming, the Chief Executive of Australia’s Wildlife Conservancy commented on last year’s discovery:

It is another exciting chapter in the night parrot story where each new discovery provides hope that the night parrot may be more elusive than endangered.

Moving forward, researchers believe that further evaluation of potential habitat could lead to the discovery of more hidden populations and suspect that the species is less threatened than previously thought. For now, conservationists are excited to know there is hope for the future and researchers are recommending increased protections in critical habitat areas.

Featured photo: Western Australia. Credit: Jim Bendon
Sources:
The Guardian
Talk Wildlife