ScienceQuiet 37d · day 37
Hong Kong's feral cockatoos emerge as unexpected conservation hope
A population of about 200 yellow-crested cockatoos thriving in urban Hong Kong could help save the species from extinction in their native Indonesian habitat.
What to know
- A self-sustaining population of roughly 200 yellow-crested cockatoos—an endangered species—now lives wild in Hong Kong, apparently descended from escaped or released captive birds.
- The feral Hong Kong population is genetically diverse and thriving in urban conditions, far from the Indonesian jungles where the species is native.
- Conservation scientists see potential in this unexpected population as a possible safeguard against extinction of the species in its natural range.
“Urban flock of about 200 birds is genetically diverse and thriving well outside of its natural habitat, the jungles of Indonesia”
James Griffiths, Globe and Mail reporter · Globe and Mail World
Yellow-crested cockatoos (Cacatua sulphurea) Endangered species
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