Comments on: Maui Parrotbill Hatches http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/09/04/maui-parrotbill-hatches/ Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:43:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: greg l http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/09/04/maui-parrotbill-hatches/comment-page-1/#comment-376748 greg l Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:27:09 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/maui-parrotbill-hatches/#comment-376748 Amazing work! Captive breeding can save rare birds, like you've done in Kauai as well. We still have to keep the habitat healthy. This year my sister and I hiked up to Palila habitat. We saw Mouflon sheep there. Introduced by Land and Natural Resources, these sheep eat the mamane trees, the source of food for Palila, Audubon sued Land and Natural Resources, and the sheep were to be removed. They are beautiful animals, but they should not be there. Some sort of ivy is covering the mamane trees. Who can help with these problems? Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources is the problem, not the solution. Amazing work! Captive breeding can save rare birds, like you’ve done in Kauai as well.
We still have to keep the habitat healthy. This year my sister and I hiked up to Palila habitat. We saw Mouflon sheep there. Introduced by Land and Natural Resources, these sheep eat the mamane trees, the source of food for Palila, Audubon sued Land and Natural Resources, and the sheep were to be removed. They are beautiful animals, but they should not be there. Some sort of ivy is covering the mamane trees. Who can help with these problems? Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources is the problem, not the solution.

]]> By: Diane K. http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/09/04/maui-parrotbill-hatches/comment-page-1/#comment-367969 Diane K. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:43:21 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/maui-parrotbill-hatches/#comment-367969 Alan, Thank-you for your very informative answer! Alan, Thank-you for your very informative answer!

]]> By: alan Lieberman http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/09/04/maui-parrotbill-hatches/comment-page-1/#comment-367938 alan Lieberman Fri, 05 Sep 2008 19:40:38 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/maui-parrotbill-hatches/#comment-367938 There are several reasons we remove the eggs from the parents in order to artificially incubate and rear the chicks. The most important reason is to maximize production through the process of " double-clutching.” Nearly all species of birds re-lay after eggs have been removed. This natural ability to replace lost eggs is especially valuable in the wild. Nests often fail due to predation, weather, and infertility. Most bird species are capable of laying several clutches of eggs in a season. By taking advantage of this ability to lay several clutches, we are able to increase our production of chicks. By rearing several clutches of eggs from each breeding pair, we can reach our goal for recovery of the Hawaiian endangered species much more quickly. The second reason for removing eggs is because we are actually more successful " parents” than the actual parents. In captivity, females (the female does most, if not all, of the incubation) don't always incubate very well, and the parents don't always feed their chicks very well. Our success rate at artificial rearing is much better than parent-rearing. The concern over the chicks knowing how to be birds without being reared by a natural parent is a legitimate issue. We want the chicks to behave like the species they are so they will survive if released and breed with their own species (and be good parents!). One way we avoid imprinting on the human caretakers is by always rearing a chick with another chick of its own species. This allows them to imprint on each other. If we only have one chick of a species, we may raise two chicks of different species together. If we only have one chick, then we rear that one chick with a mirror so it can at least see " another” chick in the mirror. Through all of the rearing process we also play the correct bird songs on a tape so they can hear the music of their parents. In the case of the parrotbill, we actually feed the chicks with a parrotbill puppet so they can see their parents (even though our hand is in the puppet). All of these precautions seem to work well–the puaiohi that we have released over the past 9 years in the Alakai Swamp on Kauai have bred very well in the wild–with other captive-reared birds and with the wild birds as well. This tells us that we have raised puaiohi that know they are puaiohi and they know how to breed and survive in the wild. By using artificial incubation and rearing techniques, we can maximize production as well as maximizing the behavioral repertoire required to be survivors and breeders in the wild. The best of all worlds. Thank you all again for your thoughtful comments. <em>Alan Lieberman is the manager for the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.</em> There are several reasons we remove the eggs from the parents in order to artificially incubate and rear the chicks. The most important reason is to maximize production through the process of ” double-clutching.” Nearly all species of birds re-lay after eggs have been removed. This natural ability to replace lost eggs is especially valuable in the wild. Nests often fail due to predation, weather, and infertility. Most bird species are capable of laying several clutches of eggs in a season. By taking advantage of this ability to lay several clutches, we are able to increase our production of chicks. By rearing several clutches of eggs from each breeding pair, we can reach our goal for recovery of the Hawaiian endangered species much more quickly.

The second reason for removing eggs is because we are actually more successful ” parents” than the actual parents. In captivity, females (the female does most, if not all, of the incubation) don’t always incubate very well, and the parents don’t always feed their chicks very well. Our success rate at artificial rearing is much better than parent-rearing.

The concern over the chicks knowing how to be birds without being reared by a natural parent is a legitimate issue. We want the chicks to behave like the species they are so they will survive if released and breed with their own species (and be good parents!). One way we avoid imprinting on the human caretakers is by always rearing a chick with another chick of its own species. This allows them to imprint on each other. If we only have one chick of a species, we may raise two chicks of different species together. If we only have one chick, then we rear that one chick with a mirror so it can at least see ” another” chick in the mirror. Through all of the rearing process we also play the correct bird songs on a tape so they can hear the music of their parents. In the case of the parrotbill, we actually feed the chicks with a parrotbill puppet so they can see their parents (even though our hand is in the puppet). All of these precautions seem to work well–the puaiohi that we have released over the past 9 years in the Alakai Swamp on Kauai have bred very well in the wild–with other captive-reared birds and with the wild birds as well. This tells us that we have raised puaiohi that know they are puaiohi and they know how to breed and survive in the wild.

By using artificial incubation and rearing techniques, we can maximize production as well as maximizing the behavioral repertoire required to be survivors and breeders in the wild. The best of all worlds.

Thank you all again for your thoughtful comments.

Alan Lieberman is the manager for the Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Program.

]]> By: Diane K. http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/09/04/maui-parrotbill-hatches/comment-page-1/#comment-367594 Diane K. Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:28:22 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/maui-parrotbill-hatches/#comment-367594 Were the parents unable to raise the chick themselves? Were the parents unable to raise the chick themselves?

]]> By: barbara http://blogs.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/09/04/maui-parrotbill-hatches/comment-page-1/#comment-367338 barbara Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:23:38 +0000 http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/maui-parrotbill-hatches/#comment-367338 Marissa, what a wonderful reward for all your efforts. This make all your studies and conservation efforts so fullfilling. The birds are so beautiful, please keep up the great work and to you and all of your colleagues congratulations. Marissa, what a wonderful reward for all your efforts. This make all your studies and conservation efforts so fullfilling. The birds are so beautiful, please keep up the great work and to you and all of your colleagues congratulations.

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