GOT International

A RING FOR

A GOLDEN GIRL

Ornithologist Carles Furquet  struck gold at a routine  bird-ringing session last weekend. Into one of his mist nets flew this rarely seen summer migrant: a female European Golden Oriole, an extremely shy and secretive bird which rarely ventures out of its woodland canopy habitat except for feeding forays with other members of the species.

The Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) is the only member of the oriole family of passerine birds breeding in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. It spends the winter in the tropics.  This bird was trapped and captured for ringing in cropland lying between the Catalonian towns of Molins de Rei and Papiol. “They’re really beautiful birds,” says Carles, “and the females often resemble the males. They’re back again and preparing to bring out new broods. This migratory bird appears only briefly in our territory and returns  to its winter quarters in Africa  in the middle of September when the breeding period ends.”

According to Carles, Golden Orioles nest high up Plane trees (Platanus hybrida and Platanus hispanica) which grow close to rivers and streams in wooded areas.The nest is a kind of basket which the

 Golden Oriole  (Oriolus oriolus)  –     Pictures by Carles Furquet

bird weaves between tree forks. “It’s a very gregarious bird, especially after the breeding season, and you can often see groups of six to eight of these yellow streaks  continuously pursuing each other in flight. The song is often melodious, with strong fluty tones.” Golden Orioles feed on fruits, cherries and figs which are abundant at this time of the year.
 Mystery parakeet at Sparrow Pond

A week earlier, Carles had another stroke of luck. Out birding at Sparrow Pond (Bassa de Pardaler) in Lliça d’Amunt with GOT veteran Ferran Pascual, the indefatigable nature lovers made a sighting worthy of the record books – a Brown-throated Parakeet (Aratinga pertinax), also known as the Caribbean or St. Thomas Parakeet (Sp: Cotorra del Caribe). A species of parrot in the Psittacidae family, the small South American  bird is considered something of a mystery and, according the blog PunctuatedEquilibrium, hosted by The Guardian, is “unusual among the Aratinga because in the wild, it typically nests in a termite mound located in a tree. It will also nest in rock crevices and will burrow in banks when an arboreal termitarium is not available.”

The parrot is identified by its long pointed tail, powerful hooked bill that is blackish grey in colour and primarily green plumage. The head has variable amounts of brown or orange, and the eye-ring and forehead colours are also variable. Both Carles and Ferran speculate that the parrot, a popular cage bird, must either have escaped from captivity or been set free by its owner. In any case, according to the Exotic Birds Group of SEO/Birdlife, this was only the second confirmed sighting of the parrot in the wild in the Iberian Peninsula. The first sighting was made  in Mallorca in 2009.

Monk parakeet – Picture by Carles Furquet

Carles and Ferran also spotted two other parrot species at Sparrow Park – a Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), and a Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri). The orange-billed Monk Parakeet is native to Argentina and the surrounding South American countries. Popular as pets, it has bright green upperparts, pale grey forehead and breast, and light green to yellow on the rest of the underparts. The remiges are dark blue, and the tail is long and tapering. Like most parrots, it is noisy, with a loud and throaty call and sharp screeches.

                                                   Rose-ringed parakeet –pictures by Carles Furquet

 A non-migrating, gregarious tropical bird, the Rose-ringed parakeet, so-called because of its characteristic pink nape-band, is very popular as a pet. It is one of few parrot species that have successfully withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation and, in the wild, is very noisy with its unmistakable squawking call. Its scientific name commemorates the Austrian naturalist Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer.  --Words: Abul Fazil

Bird species seen:  
Golden Oriole, Oriolus oriolus, Oropéndola,Oriol, Pirol,  Loriot

Brown-throated Parakeet, Aratinga pertinax, Cotorra del Caribe, Cotorra del Caribe(Ca), Conure cuivrée (Fr.)  

Rose-ringed Parakeet, Psittacula, krameri, Cotorra de Kramer, Cotorra de Kramer, Halsbandsittich, Perruche à collier

Monk Parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, Cotorra Argentina, Cotorreta de pit gris, Mönchssittich, Conure veuve