100 years ago, this man discovered an exquisite parrot thought to be extinct. What came next is a tragedy we must not repeat

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 06:34:27 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/100-years-ago-this-man-discovered-an-exquisite-parrot-thought-to-be-extinct-what-came-next-is-a-tragedy-we-must-not-repeat-171939>

"Exactly 100 years ago tomorrow, a bird that had been relegated to extinction
made a comeback. The exquisitely beautiful paradise parrot was rediscovered by
Cyril Jerrard, a grazier from Gayndah in Queensland’s Burnett district, on
December 11 1921.

But its return was fleeting. Scattered pairs were seen around Gayndah until
1929. Some were seen around nearby Gin Gin in the 1930s. After that came only
rumour and hope.

Today, the paradise parrot has the tragic status of extinct. It’s the only
mainland Australian bird species known to have suffered that fate since
colonisation.

On the 100th anniversary of the parrot’s rediscovery, we might revisit the
event and consider why the bird’s resurrection was so brief. From that, we may
gain insights into how to help the many species threatened with extinction
today."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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