There are several peer-reviewed manuscripts and popular articles becoming available in 2009.  
Contact the Steve Boyes for more information...boyes@worldparrottrust.org
The Meyer's Parrot Project has developed over the last four and a half years into an umbrella project designed to
research and conserve all continental African parrots, including the Poicephalus parrots similar to the Meyer's, the
Agapornis lovebirds, Rose-ringed Parakeet and Africa Grey Parrot.  The Meyer's Parrot has the widest distribution of
any Africa parrot, exceeding that of the Rose-ringed  Parakeet and Red-faced Lovebird.  We are now planning an
African Parrot Expedition for 2010, visiting all of the range states of the Meyer's Parrot and all other African parrots in
order to evaluate their current distribution and status.  We will be filming and photographing the expedition and
maintaining a daily logbook online.  We are uniquely positioned to ensure the species survival in the wild of all African
parrots through the derivation of a comprehensive conservation plan based on current information.  Our current data
bases are over 30 years old for most African parrot species!  For more information, please e-mail Dr. Steve Boyes, the
project leader...    
    Meyer's Parrot Project was initiated in August 2003 to facilitate
    learning and discovery about this little-known transcontinental
    African parrot.  We are currently preparing for our fifth field
    season...
MEYER'S PARROT PROJECT ARTICLES~
To read the blog of the PROJECT LEADER...
Click on the World Parrot Trust icon==>
Meyer’s Parrot Poicephalus meyeri has the widest trophic niche and distributional range of any Poicephalus parrot studied thus far, and
therefore, is expected to be more robust to macroclimatic (e.g. climate change), ecological (e.g. deforestation and influx of exotic species) and
historical (e.g. population growth, poverty and social unrest) factors that influence population status in a given area.  African deforestation rates
are, however, so high that all Poicephalus parrot meta-populations are likely under threat.  Range reduction has been recorded in all Poicephalus
parrots studied and surveyed in southern Africa.  Most records of the population status of other Poicephalus parrots pre-date the chronic loss of
forest cover in over 20 range states, resulting in 12 out of 18 range states undergoing significant habitat loss.  Meyer’s Parrots have three
ecological weaknesses that make them vulnerable to habitat loss, including the low nesting population, specialist nest tree and cavity
requirements, and their strong affinity for riverine forest and associated dry Acacia-Combretum/Brachystegia woodlands.  Meyer’s Parrots need
to be classified as data deficient or near-threatened until a continent-wide survey of the population status of all African parrots and other cavity-
nesting forest specialists has been undertaken.  The wild-caught bird trade should also be halted until the sustainability of this trade has been
evaluated and the relevant information made available.
For an introduction to the Meyer's Parrot Project and taxonomy of Meyer's Parrot, please download this .pdf:
Introduction to the Meyer’s Parrot Project (2004–2007) - 31 pages (715kb)
Meyer's Parrot Project
The moment we were all waiting for!  
The first photo captured of a
fledgling leaving nest cavity #1 at
Vundumtiki in the Okavango Delta,
Botswana (July 2007).
FACILITATING WILDLIFE RESEARCH IN AFRICA'S WILD PLACES since 2003
Updated:  3/04/2010
Administrator:  Dr. Steve Boyes  BScFor (NatCon) MEnvDev(PAM) PhD Zoology
DST/NRF Centre of Excellence Postdoctoral Fellow: Percy FitzPatrick Institute
University of Cape Town, South Africa
E-mail:  boyes@africaskyblue.org
        steve.boyes@bigfig.com
        rs.boyes@uct.ac.za