“Within aviculture, we must choose the responsible route when it comes to the breeding practices within rare or endangered species. In the wild and certainly now in captive breeding, when there is a small genetic diversity within the population due to a low numbers of birds, there is a greater risk of extinction within that species. This is due to the fact that there is a poor chance for that population containing so few individuals to survive a medical, environmental or even a poor breeding season. As any population becomes more inbred, the offspring tends to become less infertile and many physical abnormalities begin to show up. When birds found in the wild or in captivity are in great numbers, there is a large genetic diversity within that population. Genetic diversity insures that a species will survive when any environmental conditions occur (hurricanes, etc.) or when medical disasters occur. This last is especially serious within rare captive populations.”

– Dale Thompson 1943-2009