9th
Dec 2015 10:43 AM
A
RARE ground parrot has made a flying recovery after being taken to Australia
Zoo Wildlife Hospital for treatment, and has renewed hopes for local ground
parrot populations.
The
arrival of the bird, dubbed Terra, arrival at the hospital was a milestone,
becoming the first time an extremely rare species of bird has been taken
in.
The
young bird's presence indicated the species was still breeding on the Sunshine
Coast after habitat loss reduced healthy populations.
The
species is one of three nocturnal parrots in the world and is listed as
vulnerable in Queensland.
The
ground-dwelling birds stay out of sight, building nests in low-visibility
places.
Australia
Zoo Wildlife Hospital director Rosie Booth said Terra's visit, although
unfortunate, brought hope there was a healthy ground parrot population living
locally.
"When
we heard a ground parrot was coming in we were initially expecting a green
budgie as ground parrots are so rare, so we were very impressed that the bird
had been correctly identified and were even more excited to find that it had
minor injuries and was very likely to make a full recovery," Dr Booth
said.
Terra
was found in an urban area and was most likely hit by a car.
She
suffered trauma with air leaking from a ruptured air sac, inflating her with
every breath.
After
confirming there were no fractures, the Wildlife Hospital team was able to
drain the accumulating air on a daily basis and nurse her through recovery
before releasing her back into the wild.
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