Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot

General situation: Conservation efforts on Margarita directed by the local NGO Provita have resulted in an incredible population recovery. Habitat loss and poaching for local and international markets have been problems throughout the parrot’s range. Whilst there is good scientific information for the island populations much less is known about the mainland populations.
 

Situation on Bonaire: Only 650 wild parrots survive on Bonaire. Taking parrot chicks for the local pet trade was a common activity on the island as it was elsewhere and there are over 600 pet parrots on the island. Poachers cut holes in the side of trees with chainsaws to take parrot chicks from their nests. This destroys the nest for future years and the parrot parents will never breed there again.

In 2002 all captive parrots were registered and ringed. The World Parrot Trust helped fund this work. Now any person with an un-ringed pet parrot faces prosecution and the confiscation of the bird. Salba Nos Lora  (Save our parrot) coordinate awareness campaigns each year reinforcing the parrots protected status.

The Amazon faces natural as well as human pressures and these may include low food availability in dry years, competition for food with the introduced troupial, nest competition with the pearly-eyed thrasher and predation from introduced mammals such as rats.

Habitat change and reduction also have a negative effect on the parrots. Like all wild animals parrots are dependant on their environment to provide them with food and somewhere to live. Now the parrots often feed in people’s gardens where their natural foods once grew.

We do not fully understand the behaviour of wild parrots and this can be important for their conservation. Parrots are incredibly social birds and they are extremely intelligent. In addition to environmental requirements parrots almost certainly have social requirements too. For example there are several species of Amazons, Cockatoos and Parakeets that show an apparent preference towards breeding in areas where other parrots also have nests. Two of the parrotwatch pairs have close neighbours!
 

Wing measuring to monitor growth

Research
Our field research with the parrots on Bonaire will investigate the factors that limit the population, for example the effect of predators, poaching and habitat quality. We also look at the behaviour of pairs and what makes a productive pair, focusing on behavious such as: how the male and female cooperate, and aggression between pairs. Determining what the parrots need to make them successful breeders that survive a long time is vital for their conservation. Find out more about our research interests from our university website http://www.parrot.group.shef.ac.uk/