Wild Tropical Parrots

6 days ago

4 min read

Everyone loves parrots. Well, most people. A more accurate utterance would be "everyone knows parrots" as they are one of the most familiar birds across the planet. It doesn't matter whether you live in a place where they are native, parrots have found themselves in every corner of the planet. Actually, there I go again. Another inaccuracy – parrots have been present in their wild state for over 50 million years, and some believe they may have even been present at the end of the Cretaceous, witnessing the extinction event that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs. Over the course of this expansive history, they have evolved to inhabit a variety of tropical and subtropical climates, yet the greatest shift in their existence has come with our hand.

That's precisely why it's grossly inaccurate for me to say that they have "found themselves" in every corner of the planet. Parrots' universal popularity has led to them being heavily traded as pets, this is the vessel by which they have come to homes in Europe, temperate Asia, North America, and many other places where they aren't truly supposed to be. Largely due to this trade but also helped along the way by other, more widespread anthropogenic afflictions in the form of hunting and habitat loss, parrots have the dubious distinction of having a higher aggregate extinction risk than any other order of birds on the planet. This means that a higher percentage of species within the order of parrots have extinction as a current, looming threat.

This "order of parrots" is not a cult, contrary to how it rolls off the tongue. Psittaciformes – the official term – comprises all parrots, parrotlets, parakeets, macaws, lories, lorikeets, cockatiels, cockatoos, budgerigars, rosellas, corellas, and lovebirds. As far as avian taxonomy goes, they are immediately adjacent to Falconiformes. If you're thinking of falcons, you'd be correct, and even a cursory look at a parrot with this information in mind would likely reveal a frugivorous falcon. For some species, at least. The sleekest of the bunch. Other parrots are notoriously clumsy, while others still are positively massive, lumbering beasts.

I can't say that I have ever been particular to parrots. As many of you would know, I enjoy all wild creatures (notable exceptions include mosquitoes and city roaches). However, earlier this year while attending the BirdsCaribbean International Conference, I was struck by the introduction of the first Caribbean Parrot Conservation Summit. Across the region, people were tirelessly working together to turn the tide on the region's parrots. Many of which are endemic to the Caribbean, as in they are found nowhere else on the planet. Except for, of course, some "private collections" in other countries. Which, despite claims of breeding and repatriation, do very little to stem the decline in species numbers.

Somewhere during that conference a subliminal seed was planted in my psyche, and weeks later while contemplating the arrival of calendar season, the idea was birthed: parrots. Wild, beautiful, unrestrained, tropical parrots. I had to specify that the parrots were all tropical, as that excludes some (very interesting) species such as the alpine parrots of New Zealand. As is typical for my work, I enjoy including ample space around the birds. For parrots, this space takes on a new, symbolic dimension. Many of these species are also depicted in pairs, small groups, or in flight – cornerstones of their avian existence yet cruelly denied as they live out their surprisingly long lives in isolation behind bars or with clipped wings. To think that to love something means to set it free, yet we continue to deny other beings' freedom; surely we must be brimming with hatred. Either way, to view the cover of the calendar, and to reserve your copy, please use this form.

Since the conference, I've since learned that around one quarter of all the bird species on earth are traded in some form – captured from the wild, snatched from an idyllic existence to either be harvested for parts or incarcerated for life. Of the live birds traded globally, almost 90% are parrots or their relatives. Two of the most commonly traded birds on Earth are included in this collection. If you're feeling a bit downtrodden and contemplating doing something good for parrots, the easiest action would be to not have one as a pet. Discourage others from doing the same. Get involved with reputable organisations such as World Parrot Trust. Avoid backyard breeders and petting zoos that masquerade as conservation organisations without accreditation or proper frameworks for care and reintroduction. At least, help get the difficult conversations started regarding the social and psychological voids we try to fill by keeping animals in cages. Too much, too soon? You know you can count on me.

Subscribers to my newsletter would have gotten much of this information a fortnight ago, but what I haven't previously shared is that we're only printing 100 copies this year.

This calendar is the twelfth edition, coincidentally the very first edition featured a single photo on the cover – not the entire collection as it is now – which for that year was an image of a Blue-and-yellow Macaw. Each year since inception featured a collection of images of birds of Trinidad & Tobago, save for the 2020 calendar which was the first "travel" edition, featuring birds from T&T, Suriname, USA, Curacao, and Kenya.

For me, "Wild Tropical Parrots" marks a permanent departure from the "Birds of Trinidad & Tobago" calendars we have been producing annually. These parrots have been photographed in their natural habitats in the Caribbean, Melanesia, East Africa, Central America, and South America. I'm excited about the prospect of exploring various themes in years to come.

Calendars are 11"x17" with each image printed as 9"x9" squares. Common and scientific names along with a short caption complete each page. Which is your favourite?

January: Fischer's x Yellow-collared Lovebird, Kenya