Swift parrots are critically endangered migratory parrots whose welfare is acutely threatened by predation from sugar gliders in Tasmanian breeding forests.
Individual swift parrot welfare at breeding sites is acutely threatened by sugar glider predation of females in nest hollows at night. This predation is particularly devastating because it targets breeding females, causing population collapse. The discovery of this predation mechanism revealed a catastrophic welfare and conservation crisis. Welfare interventions include predator exclusion guards on nest hollows and predator control. The small remaining population means each individual welfare outcome has outsized conservation significance.