Red-necked Amazon  (Amazona arausiaca)

Red-necked Amazon populations have been declining through the 20th Century, initially as a result of hunting for food and, to a lesser extent, the pet trade, and, more recently, by forest clearance for agriculture and the devastation of Hurricanes David (1979) and Allen (1980) (4). Fortunately, hunting and illegal trade no longer pose a serious threat, and this resilient bird has made a remarkable recovery, both in range expansion and overall population size, after it was decimated to an all time low of as few as 150 individuals in 1980 after the hurricanes. Although significant conservation action has helped this species to rebound to a far healthier 750 to 800 birds estimated to exist in 2003, another hurricane of the magnitude of Hurricane David could reverse recent population increases, and its small numbers and restricted range renders the red-necked Amazon far from secure (5).

The red-necked Amazon is fully protected under domestic legislation, and the formation of the Northern Forest Reserve, Morne Diablotin National Park, Central Forest Reserve, and Morne Trois Pitons National Park have been essential in supplying protected habitat for the parrots (4). Since 2001, a Public Service Announcement Program has been run as a collaborative effort between Dominica's Forestry, Wildlife, and Parks Division and the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF), effectively delivering targeted environmental and conservation education messages to the public. A group of captive parrots are held at the Parrot Conservation and Research Centre in Dominica, but no reintroductions to the wild are currently planned (2).