Recent events in New Caledonia have left me with extremely sad to see such a beautiful place in so much turmoil.
In 2013, I travelled to New Caledonia to volunteer with its national bird the Kagu.
I found the people to be lovely and I was treated extremely well.
It got me thinking about some of the other bird species that I encountered in my three weeks staying at the Blue River Provincial Park.
One such bird was the New Caledonian Horned Parakeet.
This beautiful bird is easily recognized by the two black feathers which protrude from the back of its head.
To see this bird, one must travel to New Caledonia as they are found nowhere else in the world.
The only other bird that it may be confused with is the New Caledonian Parakeet. However, this species lacks the two prominent black feathers on the head. Both male and female adult birds have similar markings.
It was not hard to locate this beautiful parakeet species.
They were very active around the grounds of the Blue River Provincial Park headquarters.
Usually, I saw the birds in pairs, and they were not worried about being approached so long as one was quiet.
The distribution of this bird extends over the island wherever suitable forest is available.
This bird species is classified as vulnerable due to their restricted range. Threats to this bird include rats, wild cats and bird diseases.
Unfortunately, the current political climate in New Caledonia is also a concern for any conservation efforts being undertaken to protect wildlife species and wild areas.
I would encourage people to start visiting New Caledonia as soon as it is possible.
This small island country is such a beautiful place and if you travel to Blue River Provincial Park, there is a chance that you will see the New Caledonian Horned Parakeet.
