Action is needed to save rare parakeet from trafficking

IN THE ARBOREAL termitarium there was an occasional movement, a flicker of lighter colour too big to be termite-related. Closer observation revealed it to be the head of a greycheeked parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera), unpredictably appearing out of a hole to look round, then retreating inside.

A pair, or possibly a trio, of parakeets had adopted the termitarium in which to excavate a nest cavity, complete with the typically separate entrance and exit holes. This parakeet species may also nest in large trees with hollow limbs, but in two protected areas in extreme