Justification This species is Endangered owing to its very small, severely fragmented and declining range and population. Suitable Atlantic forest habitat clearance continues and trapping for the cagebird trade is an additional threat.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Salvadori, 1890)

Taxonomic source(s) SACC (2005 + updates), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification 35 cm. Bright green parrot. Bright red forecrown, orange lores and yellow below lores. Mid-crown grades to brownish-purple on hindcrown. Bluish to violet cheeks and throat. Dark scaling on neck and mantle. Darker wings, with red-based black primaries. Green tail with red markings and yellow tips. Immature has more restricted red on head. Voice Low-pitched and nasal crawá notes and other squeaks.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

1,000-2,499

decreasing

2,700 km²

Yes

Range & population Amazona rhodocorytha is now rare and local in the isolated Atlantic forest fragments of east Brazil. There are recent records from many sites in Espírito Santo¹⁰, three sites in south-east Bahia, and five in each of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It was first discovered in north São Paulo in the early 1990s³. A disjunct population remains at São Miguel dos Campos, Alagoas. It was formerly abundant but, despite the recent accumulation of more records and localities, has clearly declined significantly. It is still fairly common at a few sites, most notably on Ilha Grande⁴, at Sooretama and adjacent Linhares; and surveys found an estimated 2295 birds in Espírito Santo in 2004-2006¹⁰.

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

Ecology: It occurs primarily in lowland humid forests, but presumed seasonally displaced individuals have been found up to 1,000 m. It feeds on fruit, seeds, berries and buds procured in treetops, and has been recorded feeding in papaya, cacao, banana and coffee plantations⁸. Eggs possibly hatch in October and pairs with fledglings have been observed in January.

Threats Less than 10% of original forest cover remains in Bahia and Espírito Santo, and only 2% in Alagoas^1,2, primarily because of conversion to plantations and pastureland. In Rio de Janeiro, many important habitat fragments are being cleared, notably around Desengano State Park. The collapse of the cocoa economy in south Bahia has resulted in increased logging by landowners and the colonisation of reserves by former plantation workers⁵. If the seasonal displacement of birds is confirmed, this would multiply the problems of habitat loss. In the 1998-1999 breeding season, 174 nestlings were poached, mostly from reserves, for the national and international cage-bird trade¹, while 664 individuals were recorded in captivity at the Centre for Reintroduction of Wild Animals in 2005-2006 and others were found in private cages¹⁰. Souvenirs containing feathers have been seen for sale outside Monte Pascoal National Park⁶. It is considered a pest species in some papaya and cacao plantations⁸.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I and II and protected under Brazilian law. It occurs in 14 reserves^4,7, but most of these provide minimal habitat protection and none are effective against poaching. The captive population is managed under a European species survival scheme⁶ and Idéia Ambiental together with the Loro Parque Fundaciónand other partners have successfully developed a captive breeding programme^9,10.

Conservation measures proposed Survey to locate additional populations⁵. Protect forests where the species occurs outside reserves in Rio de Janeiro⁵. Effectively protect habitat and birds within reserves⁵. Enforce anti-trafficking laws, especially on the roads connecting Monte Pascoal National Park with the rest of south Brazil⁵.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. Brown and Brown (1992). 2. Conservation International (1995). 3. P. Martuscelli in litt. (1994, 1999). 4. R. B. Pineschi per C. Yamashita in litt. (2000). 5. Snyder et al. (2000). 6. Sweeney (1996). 7. Wege and Long (1995). 8. Klemann (2006). 9. Reinschmidt and Waugh (2005). 10. L. Klemann Jr. 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), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors Louri Klemann Jr., P Martuscelli, Carlos Yamashita

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

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