Breeding birds in captivity may alter their wing shapes and reduce post-release survival chances
by Donna Lu Science writer from on (#69YM3)
Research into critically endangered orange-bellied parrot finds 1mm difference in length of one feather is enough to reduce survival rate by 2.7 times
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Breeding in captivity can alter birds' wing shapes, reducing their chances of surviving migratory flights when they are released to the wild, new research suggests.
A study of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot has found that in captive-bred birds, those with altered wing shapes had a survival rate 2.7 times lower than those born with wings close to an ideal wild type" wing.
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