New bird reserve will protect Colombia’s rare parrots

Ever-present threat from mining and logging

August 2010: For 91 years, the indigo-winged parrot – otherwise known as the Fuerte's parrot – was thought to be extinct, and then in 2002, a 60-strong colony was discovered in an area of cloud forest in the central Andes, in Colombia. Now their future looks more secure, thanks to the creation of a new bird reserve which protects a 368-acre fragment of cloud forest.

REDISCOVERED: Until a colony of 60 indigo-winged parrots were discovered in 2002, it had been thought they became extinct in 1910.

The Giles-Fuertesi Bird Reserve was aquired, after months of tough negotiations, by bird conservation NGO ProAves and offers hope for the rare species that have made this unique and fragile habitat their home.

Vital parrot populations will now be protected
The forest supports a vital population of the critically endangered Fuertes' Parrot. The main population of this parrot (approximately 30-40 pairs) was protected by ProAves within the 16,000-acre Parrot Corridor established last year. But the new reserve will help to secure the future of an additional group of five to ten breeding pairs.

Since its rediscovery, and thanks to strenuous conservation efforts, the total population of the indigo-winged parrot has grown from 60 individuals to an estimated 150-200 birds. An extremely specialised species, it feeds on mistletoe and other fruits. It does not survive in captivity.

The Giles-Fuertesi Reserve is a two-hour drive from the provincial capital of Tolima, Ibaque, and includes more than 50 acres of pastureland that will be reforested by native trees while adjacent pasturelands will be fenced so that cattle cannot enter the forests and eat tree seedlings. 

FOREST HOME: Artificial nest-boxes will replace the natural nesting sites destroyed by logging

Mining will be prohibited

Artificial nest-boxes are being installed to providing nesting sites for the parrot as many mature trees with natural cavities have been selectively logged for timber and firewood.

The property includes a traditional cabin for a reserve guard to be stationed to protect the reserve and allow researchers and visitors to be stationed. The reserve will be immediately registered for the national network of protected areas to ensure mining is prohibited.

Other rare and endemic species found here include the endangered mountain woolly tapir and the spectacled bear.