Macaw

["Kim Farley via Canberrabirds " <>]

Hi all

 

eBird has done a fair bit of work on Exotic species in recent years. This was very welcome as it has made reporting of Exotics easier for birders (and for long suffering eBird reviewers too). For those who like the definitions, background or detail, here is a link to eBird's help page on Exotic and Introduced Species

Kim

Writing as ACT eBird reviewer

On Sat, Sep 5, 2026 at 11:52 AM Philip Veerman via Canberrabirds <> wrote:

It may be premature to call it an “escape”. It may not be an “escape”. That word best applies when it is no longer under the control of someone. It could still be someone’s pet. They can be free flown and trained to return to the owner. I am not suggesting I know, as I don’t.

 

There is also a case for use of the name “releasee” (basically “introduced”). A bird or colonising group that has been released, mainly because it is too hard to handle, rather than having escaped. That is believed to be the origin of the Rainbow Lorikeet population around Perth.

 

Philip

 

From: Canberrabirds On Behalf Of Geoffrey Dabb via Canberrabirds
Sent: Saturday, 5 September, 2026 10:38 AM
To: Canberrabirds <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] Macaw

 

On the Facebook Canberra Notice Board group there has been an interesting report of a blue and gold macaw in the Macarthur area.  In some parts of the world categories of exotic sightings have been classified with a high degree of sophistication for eBird purposes.  The Macarthur macaw would fall into the category ‘Clear Escape’, which I believe is the category of least relevance for eBird purposes. The eBird category should be distinguished from a ‘Clean Escape’, which is the name of a well-known science fiction short story about an amnesia sufferer who as a result of a corporate conspiracy becomes president of the United States and destroys most of humanity in a nuclear event.   

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