Visitation patterns of endangered grey parrots (<i>Psittacus erithacus</i>) in a forest clearing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The grey parrot (<i>Psittacus erithacus</i>), once abundant, has become increasingly threatened due to the combined effects of capture for the global pet trade and habitat loss. Although grey parrots are well studied in captivity, effective conservation efforts require a better understanding of their ecological requirements in the wild. The aim of this paper is to quantify grey parrot behaviours across the annual cycle. To do that, we studied groups of grey parrots gathering in a natural forest clearing in the Nkuba Conservation Area, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Using parrot counts and focal sampling, combined with descriptive statistics, we found that an average of 40 grey parrots visited the clearing each day, following a regular pattern in which they first perched in the trees surrounding the clearing, vocalizing loudly, until the group landed in the clearing to feed, drink and interact with each other. Generalized linear models (GLMs) and generalized additive models (GAMs) showed that the time at which parrots arrived, landed at, and left clearings was influenced by the weather, seasonality and the month of the year. We also found that parrots shortened their visits when disturbed by predators or the presence of humans. Although the underlying mechanisms for grey parrot visits to forest clearings remains unclear, the consistency of this behaviour observed elsewhere in Africa and the feeding observed in the clearing in this study suggest that these area support important foraging habitat for the wild grey parrots. Therefore, ensuring the availability of such clearings is paramount to the long-term survival of the species. We suggest that future efforts to protect grey parrots in their native habitats focus on identifying clearings visited by parrots, monitoring these clearings and allowing parrots to visit them without disturbance or risk of capture.