Seychelles black parrot census underway |28 May 2018

The last population estimate for the Seychelles black parrot was carried out in 2010-2011.

At the time it was estimated that a population of 520-900 individuals occurred on Praslin, and it was recommended that the census be repeated every 5-10 years. A repeat census became particularly important given the recent increase of invasive species such as yellow crazy ants in the Vallée de Mai, yellow crazy ants and black and brown rats both impact the breeding success of the black parrot. Therefore SIF began a survey of black parrots on March 12, with the aim of assessing both their status and establishing a baseline before the implementation of invasive species control. It is hoped that despite the threat of invasive species the population is stable.

The survey points are located on transects all over the islands of Praslin and Curieuse.

To ensure sufficient coverage of the area, the transects are located 500m apart, with survey points situated every 300m. By the end of March, the SIF team had already managed to access 53 survey points out of a total of 268, of which 248 are on Praslin and 20 on Curieuse. The biggest challenge faced by the team so far has been invasive coco plum; the dense bushes can make it very difficult to access the survey points. Due to the random selection of these survey points some are located on private property. SIF has featured on the news and released an advert to inform residents of Praslin of the survey and to facilitate access to private property. We would like to thank all land owners that have already offered assistance. It’s too early to come to any conclusions about the population size, but stay tuned to future newsletters for the full results!

SIF