Breeding biology of African grey parrot (<i>Psittacus erithacus</i>) in Kom National Park (South-Cameroon) and implications to the species conservation

Abstract

Parrots are considered a globally threatened group but, despite that, little is known about the ecology and biology of many species in the wild, this is the case for African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus). The aim of this work was to study the reproductive biology of the wild grey parrot and its involvement in the conservation of the species. In fact, a follow-up of 40 nests equally distributed in 4 vegetation types (primary forest, secondary forest, cocoa plantation and annual crop plantation) has been done between 2011 and 2013. The length of nesting period per breeding pair in our study was situated between 4 to 5 months from April to early November. The beginning of the nesting in grey parrots coincides with the arrival of the short rainy season and an increase in the availability of food resources. The average egg per pair was 2.5 ± 0.70, the mean number of chicks at hatching was 2.26 ± 0.98, and only 1.51 ± 1.16 nestlings fledged. Nesting success was high (68.89%) and varied depending on the nesting phase, year and type of vegetation but without any significant difference. Predation (47.37%) was the most important cause of nest failure. Nesting success of grey parrots appears to be very high in different habitats, but human predation and deforestation remain the main threats to the parrot population. Additional studies on breeding biology based on large sample and the immediate implementation of conservation actions are essential to avoid future extinction of grey parrots population.

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Keywords: Grey parrot, breeding, biology, success, nest hollows, Cameroon