Justification This species has a very small population which is declining owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation. These factors mean that it qualifies as Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Swainson, 1827)

Taxonomic source(s) AOU checklist (1998 + supplements), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification 38 cm. Macaw-like, heavy-billed, green parrot. Red forecrown, eye-stripe, shoulder and thighs. Yellow underwing-coverts conspicuous in flight. Flight feathers and graduated tail appear blackish from below. Large dark bill. Similar spp. Military Macaw Ara militaris is larger with proportionally longer tail and blue flight feathers and rump. Lilac-crowned Amazon Amazona finschi has shorter tail, lacks yellow underwing and calls differently. Maroon-fronted Parrot R. terrisi is a similar green in colour, but is larger, has maroon head markings and lacks yellow underwing. Voice Like high-pitched macaw. Variety of screeches, squawks, screams and shrieks. Harsh, rolling cra-ak, graa-ah and laughing calls.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

2,000 - 2,800

decreasing

600 km²

No

Range & population Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha is largely restricted to the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico, in north-east Sonora, west Chihuahua, south and west Durango and Michoacán (two collected in April 1987 and 200 birds in April-May 1990^6,7 are the first records since 1941). Smaller, occasional or extirpated populations have occurred in Sinaloa and Jalisco. Seasonal migrations occur to the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán¹². Pre-1960 records of Rhynchopsitta parrots from Coahuila, México and Veracruz may pertain to wanderers. It formerly occurred in USA, in Arizona and New Mexico, but had disappeared by the early 1990s¹². Reintroduced birds have bred in USA more recently. The population was estimated at fewer than 5,000 birds in 1992⁷, and 1,000-4,000 in 1995⁴. In 2004, the population was thought to number 3,000-6,000 individuals, including c.2,800 mature individuals¹². These figures may represent an over-estimation, as not all of the nest cavities surveyed are used every year¹⁴. Anecdotal observations by the rural residents of ejidos (communally owned lands) indicate a continued general decline in flock sizes and the frequency of sightings throughout its range, including the disappearance of some local populations¹².

Ecology: It inhabits temperate conifer, mature pine-oak, pine and fir forests at 1,200-3,600 m, but breeds from 2,000 to 2,700 m¹³. It nests in tree-cavities (especially in pine snags and Pseudotsuga menziesii^1,11), often originally excavated by woodpeckers. The selection of tree species in which pairs nest appears to shift in reaction to changes in local availability¹¹. Breeding coincides with the peak in production of pine-seeds, which are the species's primary food resource¹². The egg-laying period is mid-June to late July¹¹. Flocks roost on cliffs, but reintroduced birds have used trees. Outside the breeding season, it is nomadic in response to variations in cone abundance.

Threats Less than 0.06% remains of the original forest cover in the Sierra Madre Occidental ecoregion¹². There has been extensive modification of old-growth pine forests for timber and woodpulp. In the Sierra Madre Occidental, 80-85% of forest cover remains, but only 0.6% is old-growth⁴. In 1994, there was extensive penetration and degradation of habitat in south Chihuahua by drug-growers, loggers and huge numbers of cattle. In the same year, forest stands at Mesa de Guacamayas were heavily burned¹¹. Fire remains a serious threat to the species¹⁴. Logging has been intensive in the Sierra Madre Occidental, with no large fragments of old growth forest remaining in northern areas¹¹. Commercial logging in the area involves the removal of larger trees and standing dead wood, and appears to reduce nest-site availability by leaving few snags and pine trees large enough for the species to nest in. Such large-scale logging operations across the species's historic range may be responsible for its decline¹¹. As a result of habitat loss, breeding is now concentrated in two areas; Cebadillas de Yahuirachi and Madera¹³. Illegal trade in the species has fluctuated with peaks in the early 1970s and mid-1980s. Unofficial records confirm that the species is taken for illegal trade, but the extent of trapping is not known¹⁴.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I and II and protected in the USA. The species has been the subject of field studies since 1994, and a permanent research team, located in the Sierra Madre Occidental ecoregion, monitors nesting sites and studies its breeding biology¹². The goal of the research project is to develop sustainable forest management practices that incorporate the species's needs¹². Breeding or foraging sites at Tancítaro, El Carricito, Monte Oscuro, Mexiquillo, Las Bufas and Cebadillas have varying degrees of protection^{2,4,5,6,7,8,11}. In 2003-2004, the Madera nesting area (the second most important breeding area) was in the process of being declared a National Forest Reserve, and efforts were underway for the protection of Mesa de Guacamayas¹¹. In 2002, a moratorium on timber extraction was signed by the Tutuaca Ejido at Bisaloachia (Cebadillas), which will protect 10% of the breeding population for 15 years^9,10,12. The agreement involves reimbursement of half of the value of the uncut timber to the ejido by NGOs, whilst the same organisations will also assist the community in recouping the other half of the value through alternative income sources¹². Such agreements are being promoted in the Madera region and to the Conoachi Ejido¹². Pseudotsuga menziesii is protected in Mexico¹. Two captive-breeding facilities in USA have raised 127 chicks to fledging³ but reintroduction attempts have failed owing to disease, the inability to develop flocking behaviour, and predation by raptors.

Conservation measures proposed Monitor population trends through regular surveys. Protect all current and historic breeding sites^11,13, including those at Mesa Las Guacamayas and Cebadilla/Yahuirachic and Cocono/Cienaga de la Vaca from the exploitation of snags⁴. Adopt forestry policies that have longer rotation cycles and retain snags (e.g. a minimum of five large snags per ha¹¹). Restore degraded areas to a more mature condition¹¹. Implement forestry management practices that recognise the needs of the species¹¹, and incorporate tree species required for nesting and feeding¹³. Supplement natural nest cavities with nest boxes (to accomodate for the suitable maturation of trees, which may take 40 years)¹³. Study movements using satellite-tracking.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. M. A. Cruz-Nieto in litt. (1998). 2. E. C. Enkerlin-Hoeflich in litt. (2000). 3. S. Healy in litt. (1999). 4. Lammertink et al. (1996). 5. J. M. Lammertink in litt. (1998). 6. J. Salgado in litt. (1998). 7. Specimens in UMSNH per A. T. Peterson in litt. (1999). 8. Anon. (1998). 9. Enkerlin-Hoeflich (2000). 10. Lurie and Snyder (2001). 11. Monterrubio-Rico and Enkerlin-Hoeflich (2004). 12. Ortiz Maciel and Cruz Nieto (2004). 13. Monterrubio-Rico et al. (2006). 14. M. A. Cruz-Nieto et al. in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species account from the Threatened birds of the Americas: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 1992). Please note, taxonomic treatment and IUCN Red List category may have changed since publication.

Recuento detallado de la especie tomado del libro Aves Amenazadas de las Americas, Libro Rojo de BirdLife International (BirdLife International 1992). Nota: la taxonomoía y la categoría de la Lista Roja de la UICN pudo haber cambiado desde esta publicación.

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Javier Cruz (Inst. Tecnológico de Estudios Sup. de Monterrey), Miguel Ángel Cruz-Nieto (Pronatura-Noreste), Ernesto C. Enkerlin-Hoeflich (Inst. Tecnológico de Estudios Sup. de Monterrey), Susan Healy (Sacramento Zoo), J. Martjan Lammertink (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology), Sonia Gabriela Ortiz-Maciel (Inst. Tecnológico de Estudios Sup. de Monterrey), A. T. Peterson, J Salgado, René Valdés-Peña (Inst. Tecnológico de Estudios Sup. de Monterrey)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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