Echo parakeet

How it was counted

The figure is the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's floor for the whole wild population in 2025, with no counting method stated. It is not an estimate of the total, so the true number may be higher.

A floor, not an estimate of the total: the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation gives over 500 birds with no method stated.

What moves it

Gellé and others name severely damaged habitat and introduced invasive species, which have left the bird largely confined to part of Black River Gorges National Park. The same paper reports that fewer birds started breeding as numbers neared the most the habitat can support, and says beak and feather disease virus may also affect this.

• severe habitat degradation and introduced invasive species, which have left it largely confined to about 41 km2 of Black River Gorges National Park. the introduction of invasive alien species have left the species Source: Gellé et al. 2026, Journal of Applied Ecology 63(8): e70523 (Nottingham Trent University, ZSL, University of Kent, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Durrell, Mauritius National Parks and Conservation Service), citing the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's Echo parakeet management report 2024/2025.
• little room left to grow: recruitment into the breeding population fell as the population approached carrying capacity. Recruitment into the breeding population declined across all age classes as the population approached carrying capacity Source: Gellé et al. 2026, Journal of Applied Ecology 63(8): e70523 (Nottingham Trent University, ZSL, University of Kent, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Durrell, Mauritius National Parks and Conservation Service), citing the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's Echo parakeet management report 2024/2025.
• beak and feather disease virus, which the paper says may also affect recruitment. diseases (e.g. beak and feather disease virus) Source: Gellé et al. 2026, Journal of Applied Ecology 63(8): e70523 (Nottingham Trent University, ZSL, University of Kent, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Durrell, Mauritius National Parks and Conservation Service), citing the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's Echo parakeet management report 2024/2025.

Who is helping

The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and the Government of Mauritius' National Parks and Conservation Service set up and have run the ringing and recovery programme for the echo parakeet over many years, as credited by Gellé and others.

The next count

The count is annual. No date for the next figure is known (checked 12 November 2026).

Sources

• Gellé et al. 2026, Journal of Applied Ecology 63(8): e70523 (Nottingham Trent University, ZSL, University of Kent, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Durrell, Mauritius National Parks and Conservation Service), citing the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation's Echo parakeet management report 2024/2025 Last checked 12 November 2026.

What changed

• 12 November 2026 Added to Live Species, on the wall (1,000 or fewer): At least 500 (At least this many, 2025).

Every change on the site