Abstract
We tested the hypothesis that the size of zoo populations is not only determined by conservation needs but also by the perceived beauty of individual parrot species assessed by human observers. We asked 776 human respondents to evaluate different sets of parrot pictures according to perceived beauty and we analysed its association with colour and morphological characters.
Irrespective of the species set, we found a good agreement among the respondents. The preferred species tend to be large, colourful and long-tailed.
We repeatedly confirmed significant positive association between the perceived beauty and the size of worldwide zoo population. Moreover, the area of distribution and body size appeared significant predictors of zoo population size.
In contrast, the effects of other explanatory variables including IUCN listing appeared insignificant. Our results may suggest that zoos preferentially keep beautiful parrots and pay less attention to conservation needs.