By NOEL MURPHY
DEAKIN researchers hope to stave off an extinction threat to Aussie parrots and potentially up to one in four birds worldwide.
Key to their study are the varied colours of the brightly plumaged crimson rosella and their link to the deadly beak and feather disease virus.
Project author Dr Mathew Berg said the virus challenged wildlife monitoring and captive breeding programs, particularly with respect to the orange-bellied parrot.
“The virus is also of global conservation concern and while it may be confined to parrots, around 25 per cent of the world’s approximately 350 species have been estimated at risk of global extinction,” Dr Berg said.
“Our research results are not only good news for crimson rosellas, but we now have a good model species with which to study the disease, which is extremely important if we are to minimise its impact on the world’s parrot population.
“In a nutshell, it seems that just as the human flu can be deadly to some people and innocuous to others, it seems that the beak and feather disease virus has the same effect on the parrots it infects.”
The research team from Deakin’s Centre for Integrative Ecology and School of Medicine has had its results published by the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA.
PhD student Justin Eastwood said the crimson rosella’s variety of extraordinary colours appeared linked to the virus.
“As ebola and the common cold remind us, disease is ever present and animals and humans have exquisite adaptations and solutions to escape them – and what works for one species, or subspecies, will not necessarily work for another’” he said.
“The virus is only found in parrots, it’s no danger to humans, but the danger it presents to parrots seems to vary from species to species and it can be pretty nasty.
“The Australian Government lists the virus as a key threat to biodiversity under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 as in some species it can lead to extensive feather loss and death.”
The researchers spent eight years watching the rosella evade the grip of the deadly virus – noting that hybrid species of the bird appeared more resistant to the disease.
“Rarely has the population structure of a virus or other parasite been studied in free-living hybrid populations, so our study is rather unusual,” Dr Berg said.
“Although the virus appears to be rather benign in the crimson rosella it may still be infecting other parrot species and as crimson rosellas are common and geographically widespread, this risk needs to be determined.”
Dr Berg said such risk was part of a new Australian Research Council funded research study to spring from the results.
“Our hope is that by better understanding how the virus affects birds we may be able to reduce the extinction risk to parrots,” he said.
