The swift parrot’s distinctive call was recorded dozens of times in a patch of Tasmanian forest. Then the forest was logged

Scientists captured the birdsong of the swift parrot, a critically endangered species, in a section of Tasmania’s Wielangta forest that was later cleared. Photograph: Ken Griffiths/Alamy

They are sounds from a section of forest that no longer exists. In December and January, scientists for the Bob Brown Foundation captured the call of the swift parrot, a critically endangered migratory species. The environment campaign group says it was recorded in an area marked for clear-felling in the Wielangta forest in Tasmania’s south-east.

The foundation’s Dr Charley Gros said the vocal mark of the world’s fastest parrot was unmistakable. “It’s a tiny bird but has a very loud call,” he said. “It’s very sharp and quick and fast. You can’t confuse it with something else.”