Luis's Blog:
Red-fronted and Malherbe's ParakeetsNew Zealand
Project Description: Breeding and disease ecology of New Zealand endemic parrots: Red-fronted Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) and Malherbe's Parakeet (C. malherbi)
Luis Ortiz-Catedral
Profile: I was born in a small town called Santa Anita, near the city of Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico. I studied a Bachelor of Sciences (Biology) degree at the Universidad de Guadalajara and a Master of Sciences (Ecology) at Massey University in New Zealand. Currently Im completing a PhD degree in Conservation Biology at Massey Unviersity. I have been interested in parrots for a long time and I have been fortunate to see parrots in their wild habitats in Mexico, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. Currently Im interested in two research lines: 1) Management of wild island populations and 2) Establishment of conservation programmes that incorporate local communities inhabiting parrot-rich areas. Although Im currently based in New Zealand, in the next five years I will develop projects in Micronesia, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Mexico.
New Zealand
Project Description: Breeding and disease ecology of New Zealand endemic parrots: Red-fronted Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) and Malherbe's Parakeet (C. malherbi)
Islands, Parakeets and People: The conservation of Red-fronted Parakeets on Islands of the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
February 3rd, 2010
New Zealand holds the greatest diversity of Cyanoramphus Parakeets which are left in the world. This fascinating group of parrots used to occur on Tahiti, New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island, as well as throughout the New Zealand archipelago. During the last 200 years, however, two species and two sub-species have disappeared, due to the introduction of exotic mammals to fragile island ecosystems, and other unknown causes. The parakeets are breeding on Motutapu Island!
December 6th, 2009
Hello all: in my previous post I commented on how excited I was about heading into the field for the 2009-2010 breeding season of the red-fronted parakeets. Well, during the latest trip I was pleasantly ... Green bundles of magic: the breeding season is upon us
November 27th, 2009
A friend of mine and kind sponsor of our project refers to the parakeets as “green bundles of magic” and I always think about this name when Im heading to the field. This morning I’m ... The parakeets are back on the volcano!
November 24th, 2009
preening
Last year I had the opportunity to visit a remote volcanic island halfway between New Zealand and Tonga: Raoul Island or Rangitahua. The purpose of the visit was to determine whether or not the Kermadec ... Breeding Disease Ecology
November 23rd, 2009
My current project: Breeding and disease ecology of New Zealand endemic parrots: Red-fronted Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) and Malherbe’s Parakeet (C. malherbi)
