Thick-billed parrot  (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha)

The thick-billed parrot is bright green in colour and globally endangered. The forehead, bend of the wings and the thighs are scarlet, whilst the underside of the wings are yellow (4). As the common name suggests, these parrots posses large, powerful black bills (4).

The species’ remaining stronghold occurs in the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico. Today, thick-billed parrots are restricted to this area, having been lost from Arizona and New Mexico in the United States (5).

Thick-billed parrots inhabit old-growth coniferous forests at altitudes above 1,200 metres (2).

Nests are constructed in the hollows of conifer trees; the breeding season runs from July to September, possibly in response to increased food availability (5). Around 3 eggs are usually laid and these are incubated over a month (5). After hatching the chicks take a further 59 – 65 days to fledge and remain dependent on their parents for a period of time after fledging (5).

Pine nuts constitute the majority of the thick-billed parrot diet. Mexican white pine appears to be a preferred species but the seeds of Douglas fir, Apache pine and Chihuahua pine are also taken (5). Flocks gather on a single tree and clip the cones from their branches before shredding their outer coats to get to the seeds within (5).

The population of the thick-billed parrot has been reduced to worryingly low numbers and the species has been lost from much of its former range. The major habitat of this species, old growth conifer forests, has been extensively logged throughout the region, with devastating consequences (2). The illegal pet trade has also targeted these attractive parrots (5).

International trade is prohibited by the listing of the thick-billed parrot on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (3). In 2000, a ban on logging operations in Bisalocahic, Mexico came into effect (6). It is estimated that this forest area contains around 10% of the world population of thick-billed parrots, so it was a vital move to protect their habitat (6).

For more information on the thick-billed parrot see:

• Canadian Parrot Trust
  http://www.canadianparrottrust.org/thick-billed.htm
• BirdLife International’s World Bird Database
  http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html

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