Amazona versicolor
– Vulnerable
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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AVES
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Order:
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PSITTACIFORMES
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Family:
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PSITTACIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Amazona versicolor
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Species Authority:
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(Müller, 1776)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | ST LUCIA PARROT |
| French | — | AMAZONE DE SAINTE-LUCIE, AMAZONE VERSICOLORE |
| Spanish | — | AMAZONA DE SANTA LUCÍA |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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VU D1+2 ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2004
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Capper, D., Wege, D. & Benstead, P. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Conservation action may have saved this species from extinction. Numbers are now increasing and there is some evidence of a small range expansion. However, the area of apparently suitable (but unoccupied) habitat may be decreasing. If this begins to affect occupied habitat, the species will immediately qualify as Endangered. At present, its small population size and small range on a single island qualify it as Vulnerable.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Vulnerable (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2000) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Amazona versicolor occurs in the central-southern mountains of St Lucia. In 1950, there were 295 km² of available habitat, but this has been reduced rapidly since the mid-1970s. There have been considerable population declines, but these are being reversed by concerted conservation action. Surveys in 1996 estimated the wild population at c.350-500 individuals4, and noted some range expansion3.
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Countries:
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Native:
Saint Lucia
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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It favours montane, moist primary forest, mainly at 500-900 m, but also forages in secondary growth4. It nests in tree-holes, and breeding takes place in February-March or later1. Breeding success is apparently similar to other Caribbean and mainland Amazona parrots3.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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The human population of St Lucia is growing at a considerable rate, increasing pressure on the forest and resulting in habitat loss2. Selective logging of mature trees may significantly reduce breeding sites4, and hurricanes, hunting and trade pose further threats. There have been recent efforts to lift the moratorium on hunting within forest reserves, which would seriously threaten this species3.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
CITES Appendix I and II. It is protected by domestic legislation3. Education and awareness programmes have turned the bird into a national symbol. This has successfully eliminated hunting4, helped by a moratorium on hunting within forest reserves3. A captive-breeding programme was established in 1975, and in 1995 a total of 19 young birds had fledged2.
Conservation measures proposed:
Maintain the hunting moratorium within all forest reserves. Conduct a basic study of the feeding and breeding ecology. Designate remaining habitat as protected areas. Reassess the objectives of the captive-breeding programme.
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