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Amazona vittata
– Critically Endangered
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 vittata
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Species Authority:
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(Boddaert, 1783)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | PUERTO RICAN PARROT |
| French | — | AMAZONE DE PORTO RICO, AMAZONE À BANDEAU ROUGE |
| Spanish | — | AMAZONA DE PUERTO RICO, AMAZONA PORTORRIQUEÑA |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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CR D ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2006
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Assessor/s:
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BirdLife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Butchart, S. & Temple, H. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This species has (at least temporarily) been saved from extinction. Conservation action has increased the population since 1975, but it is still Critically Endangered because numbers remain tiny.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Critically Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Critically Endangered (BirdLife International 2004) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Amazona vittata is endemic to Puerto Rico (to USA), and once occurred throughout the forested parts of the island. An endemic subspecies on Culebra became extinct in 1912. There has been a drastic decline, which reduced the population to c.2,000 by the 1930s and an all-time low of 13 birds in 1975. It has been confined to the Luquillo Mountains since the 1960s, and the present occupied range of 16 km² represents only 0.2% of its former distribution4. Conservation action has prevented the species's extinction, although recovery has been slow and the population remains tiny. In 1989, Hurricane Hugo cut the wild population from 47 to about 23. By the beginning of 1992, there were a minimum of 22-23 parrots in the wild and 58 in captivity, with a record fledging success in July 1992 taking the wild total to 39 or 40. In 2000 the parrot numbered 40 wild birds, plus 9 recently re-introduced birds and 100 in captivity (in two aviaries)6. In 2001, thieves broke into an aviary and stole a number of captive adults. In 2004, the wild population was 30-35 individuals7, and the long-term trend appears to be stable albeit with some fluctuations.
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Countries:
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Native:
Puerto Rico
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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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Historically, it occurred in montane and lowland forest, and mangroves. It is now restricted to forest at elevations of 200-600 m. The breeding season is late February-July, when it nests in large, deep tree-cavities and lays 3-4 eggs3,7.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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Threats
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Threats:
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There has been an almost total loss of suitable forest habitat. Hunting for food and pest control, and the cage-bird trade have had crippling effects. The principal threats are now competition for nest-sites, loss of young to parasitic botflies, predation and natural disasters such as hurricanes3,7.
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
CITES Appendix I and II. Major intervention to preserve this species began in 1968, involving experiments with artificial nest-sites, control of nest predators and competitors, and captive breeding and reintroduction. The success of newly fledged parrots is monitored using radio-telemetry1. All remaining habitat is protected in the Caribbean National Forest5.
Conservation measures proposed:
Maintain the integrated conservation management programme.
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