Endangered in the Antilles
Falcons, parrots, parakeets are all near neighbours according to Faraaz Abdool who considers the fates of native parrots on some islands of the Lesser Antilles. All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool For those of us familiar with the Budgerigar – colloquially known as “budgie” – they are built for flight much like falcons are. Long, tapered wings and a long tail propel and guide a bullet-shaped body with ease at bone-shattering speeds. Even the mint-green Rose-ringed Parakeet, Europe’s first introduction to this family courtesy Alexander the Great in 327AD, shares these characteristics. Delving deeply into the most recent revisions of avian taxonomy, one would encounter a pair of surprising neighbours. Falcons, within the order Falconiformes , famous for their blistering speed and ruthless accuracy, sit adjacent to Psittaciformes : parrots, cockatoos, and their relatives. Indeed, all these birds lie along the same spectrum. A look at Budgerigars in their...