Free Flight Training as a Tool for Psittacine Reintroductions

Simple Summary Macaw and parrot populations are declining because of a combination of habitat loss and capture for the illegal trade. As a result, IUCN Red List data suggest many are candidates for captive-based conservation efforts. Unfortunately, when captive-raised parrots are released, many fly off and get lost in the landscape or get killed by predators, making it difficult to establish new populations. Previous research suggests that pet parrots trained using free flight methods can form good flocks in flight, avoid predators, and navigate well, all skills that should help them survive in the wild. Here, we conduct a small-scale, proof-of-concept study using free flight methods and three already trained adults in the release of six captive-bred Blue-and-yellow Macaws in southeastern Brazil. All six released birds stayed together and remained near the release site, avoided predators, learned to feed themselves, and survived without supplemental feeding for over one year. One bird was captured and briefly held by local people but was recovered and rereleased and is doing well. This work suggests that free flight training can help captive-raised parrots survive release into the wild and make it easier to establish new populations of parrots and macaws in areas where they have gone extinct.Abstract As habitat loss and other threats accelerate, ecological restoration and reintroduction science are becoming progressively more important. The psittacines are among the most endangered bird groups and are prime candidates for restoration through reintroduction. Unfortunately, post-release survival of captive-raised animals is often quite low because, in part, of high predation rates, low site fidelity, poor flight ability, and low flock cohesion. Current best practices in parrot release hold the birds in captivity for a year or more and include distinct methods to address each of these challenges. Here, we conduct a small-scale, proof-of-concept study using free flight methods and human-socialized trained adult birds to hand raise and release a group of six fledgling Blue-and-yellow Macaws in their historical range in southeastern Brazil. All six released birds showed strong flock cohesion and fidelity to the release site, avoided predation, and survived without supplemental feeding for over one year. One bird was captured by local people but was recovered and rereleased and it has reintegrated into the group and is still alive and doing well. The human-socialized trained adult birds modeled both desirable behaviors (flocking, foraging, reacting to predators) and undesirable behaviors and they were returned to captivity before the conclusion of this study. Our study suggests that free flight training has great potential to help captive-raised young attain a broad array of vital skills needed for survival post-release.