Justification This species has (at least temporarily) been saved from extinction. Conservation action has increased the population since 1975, but it is still Critically Endangered because numbers remain tiny.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Boddaert, 1783)

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

Identification 30 cm. Green parrot with red forecrown, white eye-ring and blue two-toned primaries. Similar spp. Introduced Hispaniolan Parrot A. ventralis has white forehead, maroon belly and blue in wing extends on to secondaries. Red-crowned Parrot A. viridigenalis has more extensive red on crown and red-orange wing-patch, but is very local around the coast and unlikely to occur sympatrically. Voice Noisy. Wide variety of squawks and screeches. Bugling flight call.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

30 - 35

increasing

160 km²

Yes

Range & population Amazona vittata is endemic to Puerto Rico (to USA), and once occurred throughout the forested parts of the island. An endemic subspecies on Culebra became extinct in 1912. There has been a drastic decline, which reduced the population to c.2,000 by the 1930s and an all-time low of 13 birds in 1975. It has been confined to the Luquillo Mountains since the 1960s, and the present occupied range of 16 km² represents only 0.2% of its former distribution⁴. Conservation action has prevented the species's extinction, although recovery has been slow and the population remains tiny. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo cut the wild population from 47 to about 23. By the beginning of 1992, there were a minimum of 22-23 parrots in the wild and 58 in captivity, with a record fledging success in July 1992 taking the wild total to 39 or 40. In 2000, the parrot numbered 40 wild birds, plus nine recently re-introduced birds and 100 in captivity (in two aviaries)⁶. In 2001, thieves broke into an aviary and stole a number of captive adults. In 2004, the wild population was 30-35 individuals⁷, and the long-term trend appears to be stable albeit with some fluctuations. In 2006, 20 birds were released in the Rio Abajo State Forest marking the beginning of a second population in the wild¹³: a further release of 26 birds were released here in December 2007 and 19 more were due for release in December 2008⁸, with the first two active nests recorded in the wild at Rio Abajo in 2008⁸.

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

Ecology: Historically, it occurred in montane and lowland forest, and mangroves. It is now restricted to forest at elevations of 200-600 m. The breeding season is late February-July, when it nests in large, deep tree-cavities and lays 3-4 eggs^3,7. Since 2001, all known nesting in the wild has occurred in artificial cavities¹¹.

Threats There has been an almost total loss of suitable forest habitat. Hunting for food and pest control, and the cage-bird trade have had crippling effects. The principal threats are now competition for nest-sites, loss of young to parasitic botflies, predation and natural disasters such as hurricanes^3,7. Red-tailed Hawks Buteo jamaicensis predate parrots and hamper releases of captive-bred individuals⁹. Predator-aversion training pre-release has improved the survival of captive-reared birds after release into the wild⁹; nevertheless raptor predation claimed 21% of all released individuals between 2000 and 2002. It formerly suffered from competition for nesting cavities with Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus but this has been prevented by specially designed artificial nesting cavities. Predation by alien invasive mammals is also having a serious impact upon productivity, with six fledglings taken by small Indian mongooses Herpestes javanicus and one nest-failure from black rats Rattus rattus during 2000-2003¹². It has been suggested that hurricanes are the most serious limiting factor preventing population recovery, and climate change may cause the frequency of hurricane events to increase¹⁸.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I and II. Major intervention to preserve this species began in 1968, involving provision of highly successful artificial nest-sites, control of nest predators and competitors, and captive breeding and reintroduction. The success of newly fledged parrots is monitored using radio-telemetry¹. All remaining habitat is protected in the Caribbean National Forest⁵. The population is monitored to help inform management decisions. Trapping of exotic mammalian predators has been shown to be a highly cost-effective way of conserving Puerto Rican Parrots¹². Around 200 birds are currently held in captivity at Rio Abajo and Luquillo and these are being managed to preserve as much genetic diversity as possible. A release technique known as 'precision release' was trialled with the release of six birds in 2008. This involves releasing a small number of captive-reared subadult parrots at each active nest site immediately following the fledging of the chicks, and aims to promote immediate and close interaction between the wild parrots and released birds⁸.

Conservation measures proposed Continue to monitor population trends. Track the fate of released birds. Maintain the integrated conservation management programme. Improve synchronisation of breeding of wild and captive birds to increase the number of captive-bred chicks that can be fostered by wild parents¹⁰. Integrate exotic predator trapping into the existing conservation management programme.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. Meyers (1996). 2. Meyers et al. (1993). 3. Raffaele et al. (1998). 4. Snyder et al. (1987). 5. Snyder et al. (2000). 6. Davis (2000). 7. Arendt (2000). 8. T. White in litt. (2005, 2008). 9. White et al. (2005). 10. Thompson (2004). 11. White et al. (2006). 12. Engeman et al. (2006). 13. Velez-Valentin and Boyd (2006). 14. Beissinger et al. (2008).

Further web sources of information

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This species has been identified as an AZE trigger due to its IUCN Red List status and limited range.

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.

Recovery Programme

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), Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), Helen Temple (BirdLife International), David Wege (BirdLife International)

Contributors Thomas White (Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Amazona vittata. 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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