Justification The extent of this species's range is very small, but it does not qualify as Endangered because habitat is not severely fragmented and it is known from more than five locations. Habitat is declining in extent, area and quality, and further population reductions are being caused by trapping and predation, qualifying the species as Vulnerable.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Linnaeus, 1758)

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

Identification 25 cm. All-green parrot with scaled effect on head (sometimes odd red feathers), red primary covert patch, bluish primaries, flight feathers darker at tip, tail feathers margined blue with red bases to outer feathers. Bill black. Similar spp. Yellow-billed Parrot A. collaria is larger with yellow bill and whitish facial area, and has deeper and slower wing beats. Voice Various screeches, rrak, muh-weep and bugling tuh-tuk in flight higher-pitched than A. collaria. Hints Best located by call.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

10,000-19,999

decreasing

2,600 km²

Yes

Range & population Amazona agilis is fairly common in the centre of Jamaica, from Cockpit Country to Mount Diablo^1,5. It also occurs on the eastern slopes of the John Crow Mountains¹. The population in Cockpit Country was previously thought to number fewer than 10,000 individuals, however recent surveys estimate 7,500 - 9,500 territorial pairs are present and the species is fairly common there; but it is much less common on Mt. Diablo^1,7,8.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: This parrot occurs primarily in wet limestone forests and forest edge, mostly at elevations of 100-1,400 m ^1,2,5. It also uses cultivated land and plantations adjacent to forest for foraging¹. Pairs and flocks feed high in the canopy on fruits, blossoms, nuts and seeds⁶. Breeding takes place from March to August¹. The use of abandoned Jamaican Woodpecker Melanerpes radiolatus cavities has been reported⁶, but the majority of pairs use tree-hollows that form from processes related to weathering or pathogen and insect attacks⁴.

Threats Shifting cultivation, logging and bauxite mining have reduced suitable habitat, and the species is trapped for local consumption^1,5. Bauxite mining licenses were recently issued for over 60% of the Cockpit Country Conservation Area, which supports over 90% of the global population of this species⁹. A population Viability Analysis indicated that were mining to take place as planned this species might decline by 50% over the next 15 years⁹. Predation by yellow boa Epicrates subflavus is a significant limiting factor to nesting success: of the 26 nest-sites located during the 1997 breeding season, over 30% suffered total failure and another 6% partial mortality during the early nesting stage³. There is no evidence that poaching for the cage-bird trade has a major impact³. There is a risk of hybridisation with other species of imported Amazona⁸.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. Since 1995, there has been work to delineate its range, estimate population size, identify factors limiting reproductive performance and train local people in research methods and techniques for long-term monitoring^1,3. Habitat in the Blue and John Crow Mountains has been declared a national park, but enforcement and management are weak¹. There is an on-going, high profile public awareness campaign to prevent bauxite mining in Cockpit Country by having the area declared "closed to mining" Minister's Discretion⁸. Discussions have been initiated which may lead to the banning of the importation of psittacines to Jamaica, to lower the risk of escapes and hybridisation⁸.

Conservation measures proposed Survey to delineate range and assess numbers¹. Establish a long-term monitoring programme. Designate Cockpit Country "closed to mining". Ensure de facto protection of the national park in the Blue and John Crow Mountains¹. Design and implement education programmes in and adjacent to the species's occupied range¹.

References 1. BirdLife Jamaica in litt. (1998). 2. Collar (1997). 3. Davis (1997). 4. Koenig (1999). 5. Juniper and Parr (1998). 6. Raffaele et al. (1998). 7. Koenig (2001). 8. S. Koenig in litt. (2007). 9. Koenig (2008).

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), David Wege (BirdLife International)

Contributors S Koenig

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Amazona agilis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

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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