Are Eclectus parrots hunted by local people?
Yes. Q: How? Speared? Shot? Netted? Trapped? A: Usually shot with extremely large slingshots. The kids make a slingshot which, for a handle has a long shaft (approx. 5 ft.) which goes all the way down to the ground like a monopod for better steady support. They then fit it with long rubber straps cut from inner tubes. These large slingshots are very capable of bringing down all sorts of birds up in the tops of coconut palms more than 80 ft. high. Normally Eclectus is shot as a pest, and the feathers are kept for decoration. It’s odd that in many areas of PNG, people especially like decorating with feathers especially men’s traditional headdresses. However, in our area on Fergusson Island, feathers are not normally part of the dress-up wardrobe. Q: Are they taken from nests? For food? A: No. Q: For pets? For sale at market? A: Not that we have seen. Minavehans do not tame birds. The only people we have seen with Eclectus as pets are “dimdims” (whiteskins). The people in the villages agr
