Hong Kong scientist puts hope in nest boxes to save endangered cockatoos

High above the bustling shopping streets of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, conservationists are striving to protect the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoo. To support their breeding, a nest box has been installed in the branches of a decades-old cotton tree. Although the species is native to East Timor and Indonesia, about one-tenth of the remaining 1,200 to 2,000 birds live in Hong Kong, where a population of nearly 200 individuals forms one of the largest cohesive wild groups outside their natural habitat.

Astrid Andersson, postdoctoral researcher, HKU School of Biological Sciences said "We in Hong Kong have the critically endangered yellow-crested cockatoos from Indonesia and East Timor. There's only 2,000 remaining of yellow-crested cockatoos in the wild. And in Hong Kong, we almost have 200 individuals. So we have one of the largest cohesive remaining wild populations."

Experts warn that habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade, threaten the species’ survival, making the Hong Kong population an important genetic reservoir for potential future conservation efforts.