The Office of Environment and Heritage launched an online data collection tool in order to help recording the sightings of the superb parrot. The monitoring of the parrots should help in protecting the species.
The Superb Parrot is one of the threatened bird species. The OEH says that these green parrots are easy to identify and this make them perfect for community science monitoring program. Community members have been attending information days in Boorowa for a few years where they showed their support for the preservation of these beautiful parrots.
The superb parrot can be found throughout eastern inland of New South Wales South-West-Slopes and Western Riverina where it breeds in spring and summer.
According to OEH there are less than 5000 breeding pairs of the superb parrot left worldwide.
“Creating an online survey tool is a way for the wider NSW community to record sightings and other relevant data on the Superb Parrot that will ultimately be used to make conservation decisions for its survival.”, said the Deputy Chief Executive, Mr. Hunter.
“The data collected through these surveys is invaluable to the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) as it records the abundance and distribution of this threatened species on private land, data that has not previously been recorded.
“Data captured through this new online survey tool will go straight to the Atlas of Living Australia and be shared with the BioNet Atlas of NSW Wildlife that is used to make planning and assessment decisions.
“The new tool will create a network of observers and records so we’ll have a clearer idea of how this species moves across the landscape, where it nests and breeds and population trends overtime.
“Community sourced data will greatly enhance existing data sets and drive management actions for this species under the NSW Government’s flagship Saving our Species (SoS) Program,” Mr Hunter said.
“Expanding the Superb Parrot Monitoring Program demonstrates how a community-led initiative and affection for this impressive bird can grow into a state-wide citizen science project that gets people out and involved in protecting threatened species in their local area,” Mr Hunter said.
More information about the online survey tool can be found here.
FAQ about the survey, including how to identify the Superb Parrot can be found here.
