Black-billed Amazon  (Amazona agilis)

The black-billed Amazon is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1) and listed on Appendix II of CITES (4).

The black-billed Amazon (Amazona agilis) is the smallest of the Amazon parrots, and is one of only two Amazona species endemic to Jamaica (3) (5).

This brightly-coloured species has green plumage, with lighter green or yellow underparts. Slightly darker edges to the feathers on the back of the neck give a scaled effect. The black-billed Amazon has dark brown eyes surrounded by a dark grey ring, and the bill is black (2) (6).

Male black-billed Amazons have red coverts on the outer wing, while these feathers are usually green on females and juveniles (3).

The black-billed Amazon can be identified by its high pitched screeching, and the “rrak”, “muh-weep” and bugling “tuh-tuk” given in flight (2).

The black-billed Amazon is endemic to Jamaica. Over 90 percent of the population can be found in the Cockpit Country Conservation Area in central Jamaica (2).

The black-billed Amazon is found in wet limestone forests up to elevations of 1,600 metres (3). This species can be found high in the canopy, and may also be found foraging in cultivated land and plantations close to the edge of the forest (2).

The black-billed Amazon feeds on fruit, seeds, nuts, berries and blossoms high in the forest canopy (2) (3). Populations of black-billed Amazons will move in response to the location of food sources (3). This species will also feed on cultivated crops, and can cause considerable damage to ripening fruit (7).

The black-billed Amazon forms flocks of 6 to 30 individuals (8) (9). This species nests in tree-hollows at least 18 metres above the ground. Like other parrot species, vigorous vocalizing between black-billed Amazon pairs advertise nesting territories (5).

The breeding season is from March to August. The black-billed Amazon lays between two and four eggs, with an interval of approximately 48 hours between successive eggs. The eggs are incubated solely by the female for 24 days. During this time the male will forage and exchange food with the female. Incubation starts after the first egg is laid, so hatching occurs at intervals, with up to seven days between the first and last hatching (5). The black-billed Amazon chicks spend up to eight weeks in the nest before fledging (3) (5).

The Jamaican boa (Epicrates subflavus) is the main predator to the black-billed Amazon, and is the main cause of mortality in chicks during the long nesting period (5).

Once widespread across Jamaica, both the range and population of the black-billed Amazon have declined. Jamaica has one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation, and is causing the habitat of the black-billed Amazon habitat to become increasingly fragmented. Forest clearance for logging, cultivation and bauxite mining pose the biggest threat to this species (2) (3) (5). Bauxite mining licences have recently been issued for over 60 percent of the Cockpit Country Conservation Area, which may reduce the black-billed Amazon population by half over the next 40 to 50 years (2).

Additionally, poaching and trapping for local consumption has contributed to this species’ population decline (2). Unlike many mainland species of parrot, poaching for the pet trade is minimal and does not pose a threat to the black-billed Amazon (5).

The black-billed Amazon is also threatened by hybridisation with non-native Amazona species introduced to the island (2).

Since 1995, conservation measures to protect the black-billed Amazon have included estimating its population size, training local populations in methods of long-term monitoring and research, and identifying causes of poor reproductive performance (2).

In an effort to prevent hybridisation, discussions are being held about the banning of imports of parrots to Jamaica (2).

A national park has been created, including land in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, although there is little enforcement in place. There is also a campaign to prohibit bauxite mining in the Cockpit Country Conservation Area (2).

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Find out more about the black-billed Amazon and its conservation:

• BirdLife International - Black-billed Amazon:
  http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=1665

Find out more about conservation in the Cockpit Country Conservation Area:

• Cockpit Country Windsor Research Centre:
  http://www.cockpitcountry.com/conservation.html