Selected Abstracts from the Literature

Abstract

Anthropogenic factors such as habitat fragmentation, hunting, and collection for the pet trade continue to be important reasons that members of the family Psittacidae are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world. If we hope to protect these animals as they are extirpated from their native range, it is important for us to develop evidence-based husbandry and nutritional methods to ensure their success. One group this will be important for is hatchling and nestling birds. Unfortunately, research on their nutrition is limited. In this study, the authors measured the metabolizable energy, crude protein, crude fat, minerals, and the essential amino acid profiles of the crop contents from nestlings of 5 free-living psittacine species: scarlet macaws (Ara macao) and red-and-green macaws (Ara chloropterus) from Peru; Cuban Amazon parrots (Amazona leucocephala bahamensis) from the Bahamas; lilaccrowned Amazon parrots (Amazona finschi) from northwestern Mexico; and thick-billed parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) from northern Mexico. The nutritional profiles for the crop contents of the different birds were similar even though their habitats, geographic ranges, and food sources were different. Interestingly, the crude protein and crude fat concentrations for the Ara and Amazona species were similar, while the thick-billed parrot had higher crude fat and lower crude protein contents. Electrolyte and mineral concentrations, such as sodium and iron, were more varied between species. When these results were compared with hand-feeding formulas, the captive diets contained lower crude fat, magnesium, arginine, valine, and phenylalanine concentrations, as well as much higher concentrations of calcium and zinc. These results suggest that there are differences between species and identifying these differences will be key to our success with these birds in captivity. There were also differences in the freeliving bird samples compared with current handfeeding formulas, and additional research will be needed to determine if these differences will impact the growth and success of these animals in captivity.