IUCN Conservation Status –
Least Concern
Extinct In The Wild
Class: Birds
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Our Madagascan Walkthrough enclosure is where you can find our group of vasa parrots, along with our crowned lemurs.
These birds are endemic to Madagascar, where they can be found in forests and in areas of grassland.
Their diet is a mixture of fruit and seeds.
Interesting facts!
- The skin of both female and male vasas turns yellow during the breeding season, and there is often feather loss. However in females the feather loss can result in complete baldness.
- Dominant female vasa parrots will mate with several males, and a clutch will contain eggs fathered by at least two different males.
Conservation
As they are seen as crop pests, it is legal to hunt vasa parrots in Madagascar, and high levels of hunting contribute to a rapid decline in numbers. In common with many Madagascan species, loss of their forest habitat is also a threat.
