Swift Parrots are critically endangered, breeding in eastern Tasmania and migrating to south-eastern mainland Australia during winter. Swift parrots do not return to the same location to breed each year, rather they choose locations with a high density of flowering trees (blue or black gums) which are essential food sources. If insufficient hollows for nesting + breeding time + high density of flowering food tree requirements are not met, then breeding will not occur. Swift parrots prefer to nest in the tree tops of old growth forest.
Only recently it has been discovered that sugar gliders – introduced to Tasmania, are having a large impact on the Swift Parrot population, by killing nesting females, eating eggs and chicks. Up to half of nesting parrots can be killed by sugar gliders in a season.
Difficult Bird Research Group: Over 100 Swift Parrot nest boxes have been installed with the solar-operated ‘Possum Keeper Outter’ that closes the nest box entrance after dark, preventing sugar gliders from entering and eating sitting Swift Parrot females, eggs and chicks. The Possum Keeper Outters cost $400 each including installation. The PKO installation project raised just over $85,000 via a crowdfunding campaign in 2017.
Here are some links to project web pages and associated research results:
The Difficult Bird Research Group PKO crowd funding campaign in 2017 including project information: https://www.pozible.com/project/operation-pko?fbclid=IwAR24kCTo-UM-T4_z8FqFswth-0ya3T_2GV_nXrf3cAOouD6pMEehUhOgkPY
Difficult Bird Research Group, Swift Parrot: https://www.difficultbirds.com/swift-parrot
Difficult Birds Research Group, Research Output: https://www.difficultbirds.com/research-output
Sex ratio bias and shared paternity reduce individual fitness and population viability in a critically endangered parrot (2018). Authors: Heinsohn, Olah, Webb, Peakall & Stojanovic. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/582ea0d1579fb3ef8b09706d/t/5c0ad3a4352f5350eae7d4dd/1544213420582/Heinsohn_et_al-2018-Journal_of_Animal_Ecology.pdf
Occupancy patterns of the introduced, predatory sugar glider in Tasmanian forests (2018). Authors: Allen, Webb, Alves, Heinsohn & Stojanovic. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/582ea0d1579fb3ef8b09706d/t/5a7a0eb50d9297e49c4bc98b/1517948599480/allen+et+al+sugar+glider+occupancy.pdf
Discovery of a novel predator reveals extreme but highly variable mortality for an endangered migratory bird (2014). Authors: Stojanovic, Webb, Alderman, Porfirio & Heinsohn. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/582ea0d1579fb3ef8b09706d/t/5a7a0ee28165f570c8bd6df1/1517948646866/Stojanovic+et+al+2014+Discovery+of+a+novel+predator.pdf
A severe predator-induced population decline predicted for endangered, migratory swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) (2015). Authors: Heinsohn, Webb, Lacy, Terauds, Alderman & Stojanovic. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/582ea0d1579fb3ef8b09706d/t/5993992be6f2e169cc269846/1502845231639/Heinsohn+et+al+2015+Swift+Parrot+PVA.pdf
Nesting requirements of the endangered Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolour) (2012). Authors: Webb, Holdsworth & Webb. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/582ea0d1579fb3ef8b09706d/t/582fda56cd0f682710803aa0/1479531095465/Webb+et+al+2012+nesting+requirements+of+the+swift+parrot.pdf