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MAURITIUS ECHO PARAKEET
Psittacula Eques Echo
The avifauna of Mauritius has as origin birds from Asia,
Africa and Madagascar that have taken thousands of years to evolve into new
species. Early travellers to Mauritius have left vivid accounts of the avifauna
of the island. Numerous reports of Dutch navigators mentioned many species
such as the dodo, the rail, the heron, the blue pigeon, two species of owls and
two species of grey parrots all of which have now disappeared. The main
reasons that have led to the extinction of these birds may be attributed to
excessive hunting by the early settlers, the destruction caused by introduced
animals like rats and monkeys and the gradual shrinking of their natural
habitat.
During the 1700s and up to the 1850s, the Echo Parakeet,
endemic only to Mauritius was very common on the island. Between 1870 and 1900
the bird population fell gradually and by the middle of the 20th
century the species was close to extinction with only about 50 birds
remaining. The critical habitat loss caused by the clearance of the upland
dwarf forest for plantation between 1971 to 1974 at La Mare and Plaine
Champagne was responsible for further drastic decline of the species. In 1991,
the Echo Parakeet was extremely endangered with some 15 birds left, of which
only three were females, restricted to a small area of forest in the Black
River Gorge in southwestern Mauritius.
Echo Parakeets, found singly, in pairs or in small
groups, measure about 42 centimetres. They will fly several kilometres in
search of food which include various fruits, seeds of local plants, buds,
flowers and leaves and tree bark and sap. They rest at midday when they
mutually preen after gathering in tall trees. Shortly before dusk they fly
around in groups and are noisy and unsettled. At night they roost in secluded
trees or in tree hollows. Nests are located in tall trees with an entrance
bole of 15 cm. The breeding season is from August to January. Clutches are of
2-3 eggs and incubation is 22 to 24 days. The young birds are usually fed by
the adult male for about three weeks and by the end of February they fledge,
after which they remain with their parents for two to three months.
Echo Parakeets are strikingly beautiful. The male is
predominantly dark green in colour with the back of the head to the side of the
cheek area suffused with blue. It has broad cheek stripes to side of nape and
narrow line from cere to eye black. The collar to the side of nape is pink and
the abdomen and under wing-coverts slightly brighter green. The upper side of
the tail feathers is green, the underside dirty yellow. The upper mandible is
red, the lower mandible black; the iris yellowish and the feet grey. The
female, also green, has dark green stripes on cheek and is without the pink
band on the nape. The collar is yellow-green and the blue tinge to back of
head is absent. The middle tail feathers are washed with blue and the upper
and lower mandibles are black. The immature birds are similar to the female
but with shorter tail feathers. As the male birds mature the distinctive male
colours emerge.
Once, one of the world's rarest parrots, the Echo
Parakeet, has been a major concern to conservationists. In 1976, captive
breeding attempts were began, but without success. In 1983, further efforts
were made by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust and in 1987 a full scale
programme was launched. The 1996/97 captive breeding season was the most
productive to date when the final minimum population count was eighty-six
birds. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), in collaboration with the
National Parks and Conservation Service of the Government of Mauritius, has
made the Echo Parakeet programme their priority conservation project. The
number of birds today exceeds one hundred and ninety; the captive breeding
results obtained by Dr. Carl Jones and his team at the Gerald Durrell Endemic
Wildlife Sanctuary at Black River has been most successful.
Technical details
Designer : Andrew Robinson
Printer : BDT International Security Printing Ltd.
Stamp Size : 27.94 x 44.45 mm
Perforation : 14
Gum : PVA
Paper : CA Watermarked
Sheet Format : 50 stamps set in two panes of 25
Release Date : 19 March 2003.
Denominations : Re1, Rs2, Rs5, Rs15
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