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ZooNooz Article - december 2005
The road to recovery
Story by David Wilkin
Photograph Cathy Hattersley
Taronga Zoo is involved and currently has two pairs of Helmeted Honeyeaters which are located in aviaries off display.
The Helmeted Honeyeater, one of Victoria's best known animals, is a striking yellow, green and black bird with a yellow crown and ear tufts that stand out against the black sides of the head. It has a distinctive short crest, or helmet, of yellow feathers which can be pushed up and forward when the bird is excited.
Helmeted Honeyeater |
The Helmeted Honeyeater is currently rated as critically endangered. It's found in an area of less than 10 square kilometres, the whole population is confined to this one locality, and the habitat is declining because of the continuing dieback of vegetation.
The population reached a low of 80 (15 breeding pairs and about 50 singles) in late 1989, and even now there are as few as 100 left in the wild. So building up numbers using captive-bred birds has become essential.
A recovery plan for the Helmeted Honeyeater was started in 1989 with the long-term objective being to achieve a stable population of at least 1000 individuals in at least 10 separate but interconnected colonies.
Taronga Zoo is involved and currently has two pairs of Helmeted Honeyeaters which are located in aviaries off display. Breeding season commenced soon after the winter solstice and will continue through to March. Our hope is to see some chicks soon.
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