Australia heats up: bats die in trees

[ChristaNL]

I just received and article about the heatwave down under and the repercussions it has for some of the wildlife...

https://www.iflscience.com/plants-a...week-from-australias-recordbreaking-heatwave/

Now I am wondering "what about the parrots?" - do people create more drinking/bathing spots for them, provide shade etc.?

 

[Scott]

Horrific. Hopefully water will be made more available, but the ambient temps are just ghastly and seem to overcome the bats with temps of 40-44C.

Raising their endangered level from vulnerable to endangered may offer short-term help, but rising temps is the critical issue.

 

[Bundiibird]

I know of plenty of people in Australia that leave water out for the wildlife. We have 2 large bird baths in our back yard that get washed and filled daily.

It has been unseasonally hot for this time of year however this is part and parcel for an Australian summer. It gets HOT. VERY HOT.

In Queensland, we have had plus 40 degrees days for nearly 2 weeks resulting in over 100 bushfires burning across the state. It has been horrendous. We now have a cyclone formed off the coast however it appears that it won’t come ashore. This is a blessing as we don’t want the destruction but just need rain.

Some of Queensland is predicted to get rain later this week so fingers crossed.

 

[Laurasea]

Bundibird I haven't seen a blue fronted Amazon that look like the one in you signature before? Do you have more pictures of her? Could she be a different species??? I'm no ho no way an Amazon girl, lol just haven't seen one like yours before..

 

[LaManuka]

Hot summers in Australia are nothing unusual but the difference now is that the extreme temperatures and fire risks start earlier and periods of extremes are more sustained. Cairns in the far north is hot virtually all year round but they’ve had temperatures of over 40 Celsius in the last few weeks which is HIGHLY unusual for them. Hence even wildlife up there that are evolved to deal with local conditions are suffering in the present conditions.

Australia is the driest continent and climate change is making it drier all the time. Lots of Aussies already do put water and food out for birds, not just for the parrots, all kinds of species will pop by for a snack. Lots of species though that might only be just clinging on in marginal regions will be pushed over the brink and not just here. Climate change is real and I fear no-one really has the guts or commitment to do much about it!

 

[Bundiibird]

Bundibird I haven't seen a blue fronted Amazon that look like the one in you signature before? Do you have more pictures of her? Could she be a different species??? I'm no ho no way an Amazon girl, lol just haven't seen one like yours before..

She had so much blue on her as a baby. She has gained some more yellow as she has gotten older. She has just turned 4 in October. Her blue goes from her head all the way to her vent. She is definitely a BFA and she has lots of blue. Lol.

These were taken in the last couple of months. She hates the camera so it is hard to get a good one. Plus she is in moult.

 

[Squeekmouse]

She is so beautiful!

 

[EllenD]

I wonder if the wild parrots there try to compensate for the lack of standing water by eating more vegetation? Well, assuming there is any vegetation that isn't dried-out...I know that Bearded Dragons in the Australian Deserts get almost all of their hydration from the vegetation they eat in the desert, which is the reason that most pet Bearded Dragons won't drink from a bowl and some won't even drink from a bath they are soaking in, they simply have no concept of what "standing water" is...So I'm wondering if the parrots can adapt and compensate the same way...

 

[LaManuka]

I wonder if the wild parrots there try to compensate for the lack of standing water by eating more vegetation? Well, assuming there is any vegetation that isn't dried-out...I know that Bearded Dragons in the Australian Deserts get almost all of their hydration from the vegetation they eat in the desert, which is the reason that most pet Bearded Dragons won't drink from a bowl and some won't even drink from a bath they are soaking in, they simply have no concept of what "standing water" is...So I'm wondering if the parrots can adapt and compensate the same way...

The answer to that last question is no they don’t. Some marsupials do get most of their moisture from vegetation, like koalas for example, but not parrots.

Many parrot species head towards the coast or urban areas when it’s dry inland to take advantage of more accessible water and food. Larger species like galahs, corellas and cockatoos invade farms in such huge numbers that it gives the impression that the farmer is actually cultivating birds instead, hence the local term “cocky farmers”.

 

[Laurasea]

Bundibird I haven't seen a blue fronted Amazon that look like the one in you signature before? Do you have more pictures of her? Could she be a different species??? I'm no ho no way an Amazon girl, lol just haven't seen one like yours before..

She had so much blue on her as a baby. She has gained some more yellow as she has gotten older. She has just turned 4 in October. Her blue goes from her head all the way to her vent. She is definitely a BFA and she has lots of blue. Lol.

These were taken in the last couple of months. She hates the camera so it is hard to get a good one. Plus she is in moult.

Very beautiful! And blue is my favorite color!!! !