“Adopt” a wild cockatoo, Eclectus, or lory for as little as $25 a month and you will be making an important contribution to the critical work of conserving imperiled Indonesian parrots and their habitats.

Benefits at different levels of sponsorship include an 8”x10” adoption certificate* ready to be framed and a screensaver* for your computer of a bird’s eye view of Seram Island.   Make holiday shopping easy.  Sponsoring a wild parrot in honor or in memory of a loved one is a meaningful and unique gift for anyone who loves wildlife.

*In order to conserve resources we will send the certificate, photo, and screensaver electronically for you to print or save as you wish.  However, hardcopies can be purchased for an additional $15 for materials and shipping.

Featured parrot: Purple-naped lory

In January 2008, four of the seventeen birds released back into the wild from Kembali Bebas Rehabilitation Center and Sanctuary were purple-naped lories.

Although a protected species, purple-naped lories (Lorius domicella) are disappearing from their endemic habitats in the montane forests of South Molucca.

Capture for the international cage-bird trade – the main cause – has devastated populations.  Also, they are believed to have magical qualities by a tribe living on Seram island, the Nuaulu, who hang “kihoke” wings outside their houses to protect the occupants from illnesses.

According to the 2008 Birdlife International Species factsheet, it is “mainly red, with orange bill.  Black cap shading to violet at rear, variable yellow band across upper breast.  Purplish blue thighs.  Largely green wings.  Red, broad and rounded tail, tipped brownish-red.”

Nectar, pollen, flower and fruit eaters, they feast on the calcium-rich fruit of the immense fig tree as do many other animals of the forest.  The flowers of Eucalyptus deglupta are also relished.  This tree is also valuable for providing nest sites.

There appears to have been a solitary sighting of a purple-naped lory picking into a dry flower of the spiny rattan, and they have been observed chewing on the bard of dead trees.  They tend to forage in the sub-canopy sometimes along with other birds such as red and rainbow lorikeets, honey-eaters, and Moluccan King parrots.

Known to exist in the wild only on Seram, and possibly on the adjacent small island of Ambon, the population of this charismatic species continues to decline.  It is now classified as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, upgraded from “threatened in 1988.

Levels of Participation

You will receive a gift of appreciation for your donation*.

1 month ($25)
- personalized certificate of sponsorship

2 months ($50)
- the gift above AND
- photograph of a wild Indonesian cockatoo, Eclectus, or lory

4 months ($100)
- the gifts above AND
- screen-saver of Seram Island for your computer

8 months ($200)
- the gifts above AND
- special mention on the Sponsor a Wild Parrot webpage

12 months ($300)
- the gifts above AND
- IPP t-shirt (free shipping)

*In order to conserve resources we will send the certificate, photo, and screensaver electronically for you to print or save as you wish. However, hardcopies can be sent to you or giftee for an additional $15 for materials and shipping.

To sponsor by check, please fill out the order form and send to:

IPP, c/o Maggie Sichel-Pinatelli
1417 Deer Lane
Sebastopol, CA 95472

To sponsor by credit card, follow the directions under “Donate by Credit Card", fill out and copy-and-paste the order form to Maggie Sichel-Pinatelli.

For questions, please email or phone Mandy Andrea at 206-399-8542. Thank you from all of us at IPP and the endangered parrots of Indonesia.

The Indonesian Parrot Project / Project Bird Watch is a 501 (c) (3), all-volunteer, not-for-profit corporation working to improve the welfare of the parrots and cockatoos of Indonesia. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.