Justification This species is listed as Near Threatened because it is suspected to be declining moderately rapidly owing to habitat loss and capture for the cagebird trade.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Spix, 1824)

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

Identification 28 cm. Medium-sized, bright green parrot. Male has broad blue belly-patch. Rounded tail. Somewhat large, horn-coloured bill. Pale, bare eye-ring. Female generally paler. Similar spp. Amazona spp. are larger with shorter tails, and female Pileated Parrot Pionopsitta pileata is smaller. Voice Unpatterned thrush-like phrases. In flight, semi-whistled sounds like parakeet.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

unknown

decreasing

30,300 km²

Yes

Range & population Triclaria malachitacea occurs mostly in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, south-east Brazil. There are additional records from south Bahia (none since 1833), Minas Gerais (a few doubtful records), Espírito Santo (recently from four or five sites), Paraná (three recent records) and Santa Catarina (recently from three sites⁵). Two records from Misiones, Argentina, require confirmation. The population was formerly estimated at fewer than 5,000 individuals⁴, but recent surveys suggest that there may be c.10,000 in Rio Grande do Sul¹ and significant numbers on the east slope of the Serra do Mar. It is apparently naturally rare⁶.

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

Ecology: It inhabits lower montane and escarpment forests up to 1,000 m, ranging into lowland forests outside the breeding season. In Rio Grande do Sul, it nests on flat, ridgeline terrain (possibly an artefact of lowland forest destruction)² but, in the Serra do Mar, most records are along valley watercourses. Trichilia claussenii may be an important nest-tree in Rio Grande do Sul, with Eugenia rostrifolia, Alchornea triplinervea and Cupania vernalis frequently possessing suitable natural cavities². Nesting occurs from September (October in Rio Grande do Sul) to January². It has a varied diet, including palmito palms Euterpe edulis and occasionally maize¹. It is vulnerable to fragmentation and appears to require fragments of over 60 ha to persist⁶.

Threats There has been extensive habitat loss for agricultural conversion, urbanisation and intensive palmito collecting. Even the moister valleys in the Serra do Mar are under conversion to banana plantations on the lower slopes. In Rio Grande do Sul, cutting for fuelwood to cure tobacco is fragmenting habitat¹. During the mid-1980s, small numbers were found in international trade. There is some internal trade but captive birds are rare¹.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II and protected under Brazilian law. It occurs in 14 protected areas in Brazil³, and most recent observations outside Rio Grande do Sul have been in reserves. In Rio Grande do Sul, clearance of native forest is prohibited, fuelwood extraction requires a licence and suitable areas for incorporation in a reserve network have been identified¹. Some preliminary public awareness activities have been undertaken¹.

Conservation measures proposed Monitor large populations. Create a reserve network in Rio Grande do Sul, implemented at the municipal level through land acquisition¹. Initiate a long-term plan for sustainable forest management of tobacco in Rio Grande do Sul¹. Expand public awareness activities at appropriate properties and schools¹.

References Collar et al. (1992). 1. Bencke (1996). 2. Bencke (1998). 3. Develey (1997). 4. Lambert et al. (1993). 5. do Rosário (1996). 6. Uezu et al. (2005).

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 Marcus Babarskas (BirdLife International), Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

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

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Triclaria malachitacea. 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.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums