Is TypeWhizz Real Or Another Online Scam? Let’s InvestigateThe golden parakeet , highly sought after in the illegal pet trade for its striking yellow plumage, is at risk of extinction in the Brazilian Amazon.
BELÉM, Brazil — The golden parakeet is as noisy as it is brightly colored. Hanging from the branches above, three of these medium-sized parrots screech and squawk as they peer down to get a better look at biologist Marcelo Vilarta as he observes them. Also known as golden conures, they’re striking birds with their vibrant yellow plumage and green wingtips distinct against the Amazonian vegetation. Yet it’s these colors that have put their population at risk of extinction.
Yet the demand for exotic and rare birds as pets, and the profits they bring, keeps the black market active. Wild golden parakeets feed on fruits and seeds that biologist Marcelo Vilarta leaves out for them every day. It helps him keep track of the wild population in Utinga State Park. Image by Sarah Brown.
The golden parakeets that have been released in Utinga State Park often socialize and interact with the individuals currently in enclosures awaiting release. This species is highly social and lives in flocks of four to 10 individuals. Image by Sarah Brown. A female golden parakeet balances on the mesh netting inside the enclosure curiously watching Vilarta talking nearby and edges closer to him, showing little fear of people. He says she was once kept as a pet, raised illegally in Pará before the owner surrendered her for the project.A golden parakeet hangs from an açaí tree, one of the species’ most consumed fruits. Image courtesy of Marcelo Vilarta.