Captive Breeding of the S1. Vincent Parrot

Abstract

Many names have been given this parrot, such as the "Rolls Royce" of Amazons, the "most beautiful" of the island parrots, etc., but some names come to my mind that cannot be printed. If ever there was a bird to try one's patience in attempting to captive breed it, this is the one. We refer to them as "our chickens'.' This somehow seems to describe them.

There is also a curse that goes with owning guildingii that should rank on an equal with that of the Hope Diamond or King Tut's tomb. We have referred to it as the "St. Vincent Syndrome,'' a malady resulting in functional departure from mental integrity on the part of a few connected with this parrot. Its symptoms are best described as inordinate desire, rapacious eagerness, and lustful longing, which culminates in a consuming passion that will stop at nothing to gain control of the few existing specimens outside their native island. Those of us immune to its virulence are quite often targeted with invective innuendo by those afflicted. We were first apprised of the needless pain experienced by this derangement from the lips of those who had, in fact, kept this avian treasure but had avoided being infected by innoculating themselves with minimal doses of common sense. We were not made conscious of the magnitude or fury this disorder can unleash until we became custodians of ten of these Amazons eight years ago. Until then, we happily captive bred West Indian parrots of equal beauty and, in some cases, far more endangered, without arousing such vehement anger and opposition.

Outside the Island

The 1989 studbook for St. Vincent Parrots lists only 59 guildingii having existed in ten collections scattered throughout the world over the past 20 years. Fourteen of these have died within this time frame. This leaves 45 living and registered outside of St. Vincent. Of this number, five were captive bred at Life Fellowship from 1982 to 1988. During the 25-year period prior to 1984, the St. Vincent government acknowledged the issue of permits for only 20 birds to be legally removed from the island (Low, 1984). Ten of these were our original guildingii we received from William T. Miller of Barbados, who acquired them as young birds in 1968 to 1970.

It required nine months of mind boggling paperwork from both the governments of St. Vincent and Barbados for us to establish these birds to be pre-ACT, pre-CITES status in order to satisfy both U.S.D.I. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.D.I. Law Enforcement and U.S.D.A. Quarantine before these Amazons could be imported. This is pointed out because our collection of St. Vincents no doubt has more legal documentation than any other outside the island.

In spite of this proof of ownership, we have continually been pressured by at least one member of the St. Vincent Parrot Consortium to sign over our birds to them in order that all guildingii outside the island could be returned. This proposal was presented to us and other members of the consortium in August 1988. We refused, as did the majority of members who had much invested in their birds. Those who agreed had no personal investment involved. However, one did have a more endangered species at his facility, but no mention was made of sending those birds back to their island habitat. The institution holding that species has received considerable publicity for captive breeding the "rarity" and would no doubt balk at such a suggestion. It is hoped that more and more zoos and private aviculturists will begin to look on their collections as floating habitats for endangered wildlife...