The Thicl billed Parrot

Abstract

The thick-billed parrot (Rbyncbopsitta pacbyrbyncba pacbyrbyncba) is an endangered species now existing naturally only in the montane pine forests of Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental. The species once ranged into Arizona and New Mexico as far north as Flagstaff, Arizona, but no reliable sightings had been made in the U.S. since the mid-1930s. The parrot's overall population decline is attributed to deforestation of large areas of thickbill habitat in Mexico. No effective wildlife reserves have been established in the parrot's nesting range, and implementation of forest management programs favorable to wildlife is unlikely, given Mexico's current economic and political situations. To add to the problem, heavy trapping to supply Mexico's pet trade (and, ultimately, U.S. buyer of smuggled birds) decreases the bird's numbers in the wild.



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