Thick-Billed Parrot | Sirena Chu

The Thick-Billed Parrot

(Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha)

By Sirena Chu

INTRODUCTION TO THE THICK-BILLED PARROT

The Thick-Billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) is native to the United States and Mexico. It is one of only two parrot species found in the United States, the other being the Carolina Parakeet which went extinct in 1918. They prefer to live in higher elevations, and are currently found most often in the pine forests of northern Mexico, camoflauging perfectly with its apple-green feathers. Due to this choice of habitat, they are also known as snow parrots or cold-weather parrots.

They currently inhabit nearly the entire length of the Sierra Madre Occidental, which uncoincidentally, is one of the most important timber producing sites in Mexico. Thick-Billed parrots depend immensely on these forests for both food and for their nesting sites, as their diet consists mainly of the seeds of several species of pine such as the Mexican White Pine, Durango Pine, Arizona Pine, and Lumholz Pine. Thick-billed parrots migrate seasonally from their primary breeding grounds (also known as summering grounds) in Chihuahua and northwestern Durango to wintering areas farther south, travelling up to 600 miles.

Left: Map of current thick-billed parrot breeding and non-breeding areas in the Sierra Madre Occidental. (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology) Right: Thick-billed parrot resting on a branch of a Mexican White Pine tree (American Bird Conservancy)

GEOGRAPHIC AND POPULATION CHANGES

Historically, thick-billed parrots could be found as far north as the mountains of southeastern Arizona and occasionally southwest New Mexico. The last confirmed sighting of a naturally occurring flock in the U.S. was in 1938 in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. However, excessive and unregulated shooting in the late 1800s and early 1900s eliminated thick-billed parrots occurring in the U.S. The parrot’s current range is limited to the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico, extending from northwestern Chihuahua and northeastern Sonora into Durango and continuing southward into Jalisco, and east through the Transvolcanic Belt of Colima and Michoacán. The northern-most breeding area is Mesa de las Guacamayas, located approximately 50 miles south of the U.S./Mexico border. 

     As of 2012, the population of thick-billed parrots in the wild was estimated at 2,097 individuals across 5 breeding areas. However according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, this is most likely an underestimate. Since there are only small populations of parrots concentrated in fewer sites, combined with the low number of breeding pairs in the remaining mature and old-growth forests, it is more difficult to estimate the population of thick-billed parrots.

Sierra Madre Occidental (Jaime Rojo)

  

LISTING DATE AND TYPE OF LISTING

            The thick-billed parrot was first listed as endangered on June 2, 1970 wherever it is found. It has been absent from the U.S. for over 70 years and now only occurs in Mexico. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working closely with Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) to adopt the recovery plan in both nations.

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

CAUSE OF LISTING AND MAIN THREATS

Thick-billed parrot populations have experienced significant historical declines, corresponding to the loss of mature, old-growth conifer forests in the Sierra Madre Occidental. When they inhabited the U.S., they were likely hunted to extinction where they lived in Arizona. In their current range in Mexico, they are threatened primarily by logging, and to a lesser degree by trapping for the pet trade.

The main reason for the endangerment of thick-billed parrots is loss of habitat primarily driven by extensive logging of large mature pines. Removal of nesting site and high-intensity forest fires also play a large role in the threat against thick-billed parrots. Large areas of old-growth forest are no longer found in the Sierra Madre Occidental. Unfortunately, as the available forest space decreases, so do availability for food and parrot nesting sites. For thick-billed parrots, habitat destruction and fragmentation still remain major threats. 

The thick-billed parrots’ preference for mature pine forests and make it particularly vulnerable to climate change. As species are pushed to higher altitudes, their habitat shrinks, to the point where they run out of room to support growth and optimal fitness. Also, their inability to disperse may be limited by hotter, drier conditions in the surrounding desert limits their habitat options.

These old-growth forests within the parrot’s range evolved with frequent surface fires. By the mid-20th century the natural occurrence of fires had been disrupted due to heavy livestock grazing. The lack of frequent fires and resulting increased fuel loads have resulted in high-intensity wildfires. In Mexico, from 2004 to 2008, 3,947 hectares of forest habitat within the thick-billed parrot’s range were destroyed by wildfire. Climate change may be a threat to the parrot, by not only increasing fire frequency and intensity, but also by reducing available habitat and food resources as a result of predicted warmer and drier conditions. The removal of birds from the wild for the illegal pet trade remains a threat to the species.

 Left: Logging in Mexico Right: Pine-Oak forest in the Sierra Madre occidental in Eastern Sonora, Mexico (Arizona-Sonora Desert Musuem)

DESCRIPTION OF RECOVERY PLAN

            Since the thick-billed parrot has been absent in the U.S. for nearly seven decades, the focus of the recovery conservation now occurs exclusively in Mexico. Since the mid-1990s, conservation organizations along with the Mexican government have been implementing conservation actions focused on research, monitoring, and protection of key breeding areas. In 2009, Mexico convened a group of parrot experts and published a recovery plan (PACE) addressing both the maroon-fronted and thick-billed parrots. The focus of the PACE (CONANP 2009) is on extant populations of the thick-billed parrot but it does not address thick-billed parrot historical records or historical range in the U.S. The United States role in thick-billed parrot conservation is to:

1) Summarize information on thick-billed parrot’s historical occurrence in the U.S. 

2) Synthesize or reference information (when feasible) from the PACE to formulate recovery planning components as are required by the ESA

3) Incorporate supplemental information received from Mexico and U.S. partners since publication of the PACE

4) Identify broad actions necessary to address conservation of the species within its U.S. historical range

5) Identify partnerships and opportunities to facilitate recovery of extant populations

To accomplish the recovery of the thick-billed parrot, the recovery strategy has five key elements: 

1) Protect existing populations and their habitat 

2) Survey, monitor, and research the population and habitat

3) Manage habitat for future thick-billed parrot population growth

4) Reduce or eliminate threats, such as illegal trade, timber harvesting, and high-intensity fire 

5) Build partnerships and educate the public

The intermediate recovery goal of this plan is to have the thick-billed parrot downlisted from endangered to threatened status. Long-term, the goal is to recover the population and remove them from the list altogether.

The criteria for recovery and downlisting the species include conserving populations and breeding habitat, locating and conserving wintering habitat in Mexico, and managing threats of illegal timber removal and parrot trade. 

WHAT CAN WE DO?

As activists, we can help by educating ourselves and others. By preventing stigma and banishing false information about climate change, logging, and other controversial environmental issues, not only can we help the thick-billed parrots, but countless of other endangered species as well!

We can also take action by sending messages to government leaders to push for change. Follow this link to see other options on things we as individuals can do to help.

https://defenders.org/thick-billed-parrot/what-you-can-do

Another way to help the cause is to donate. By donating, you help provide funding for these conservation organizations for future research and other rehabilitation efforts such as conserving current habitats and building sanctuaries.

Listed is a link where you can learn more about the thick-billed parrots and how to donate:

https://abcbirds.org/bird/thick-billed-parrot/

  

OTHER RESOURCES

Here are some resources if you’d like to learn more about the thick-billed parrots.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/thbpar/overview

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species

https://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html

Defenders of Wildlife

https://defenders.org/thick-billed-parrot/basic-facts

REFERENCES

American Bird Conservancy, The Thick-Billed Parrot

https://abcbirds.org/bird/thick-billed-parrot/

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Neotropical Birds

https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/thbpar/overview

Defenders of Wildlife

https://defenders.org/thick-billed-parrot/basic-facts

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered Species

https://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html

San Diego Zoo

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/thick-billed-parrot