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Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
– 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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Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
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Species Authority:
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(Swainson, 1827)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | THICK-BILLED PARROT |
| French | — | CONURE À GROS BEC, PERRUCHE ARA, PERRUCHE À GROS BEC |
| Spanish | — | COTORRA-SERRANA OCCIDENTAL, LORO PIQUIGORDO, PERIQUITO DE PICO GRUESO |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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EN C2a(ii) ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2007
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Assessor/s:
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Birdlife International
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Evaluator/s:
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Bird, J. & Butchart, S. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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This species has a very small population that is declining owing to ongoing habitat loss and degradation. These factors mean that it qualifies as Endangered.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Threatened (Collar and Andrew 1988) |
| 1994 | - | Endangered (Collar, Crosby and Stattersfield 1994) |
| 2000 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Endangered (BirdLife International 2004) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha is largely restricted to the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico, in north-east Sonora, west Chihuahua, south and west Durango and Michoacán (two collected in April 1987 and 200 birds in April-May 19906,7 are the first records since 1941). Smaller, occasional or extirpated populations have occurred in Sinaloa and Jalisco. Pre-1960 records of Rhynchopsitta parrots from Coahuila, México and Veracruz may pertain to wanderers. It formerly occurred in USA, and reintroduced birds have bred more recently. The population was estimated at fewer than 5,000 birds in 19927, and 1,000-4,000 in 19954.
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Range Map:
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 (click for detailed map)
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Countries:
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Native:
Mexico
Reintroduced:
United States
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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 inhabits temperate conifer, mature pine-oak, pine and fir forests at 1,200-3,600 m, but breeds only above 2,300 m. It nests in tree-cavities (especially in pine snags and Pseudotsuga menziesii1), often originally excavated by woodpeckers. Flocks roost on cliffs, but reintroduced birds have used trees. Breeding coincides with peak pine-seed production. Outside the breeding season, it is nomadic in response to variations in cone abundance.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.9 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane |
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Threats
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Threats:
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There has been extensive modification of old-growth pine forests for timber and woodpulp. In the Sierra Madre Occidental, 80-85% of forest cover remains, but only 0.6% is old-growth4. In 1994, there was extensive penetration and degradation of habitat in south Chihuahua by drug-growers, loggers and huge numbers of cattle. Illegal trade in the species has fluctuated with peaks in the early 1970s and mid-1980s.
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List of Threats:
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| 1.1.3 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Non-timber plantations (ongoing) |
| 1.1.4.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Livestock - Small-holder (ongoing) |
| 1.3.3.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Selective logging (ongoing) |
| 3.5.3 | Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Cultural/scientific/leisure activities - Regional/international trade (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Conservation measures underway:
CITES Appendix I and II and protected in the USA. Breeding or foraging sites at Tancítaro, El Carricito, Monte Oscuro, Mexiquillo, Las Bufas and Cebadillas have varying degrees of protection2,4,5,6,7,8. Recently a moratorium on timber extraction was signed with a local community at Bisaloachia (Cebadillas), which will protect 10% of the breeding population for the next 15 years9,10. Pseudotsuga menziesii is protected in Mexico1. Two captive-breeding facilities in USA have raised 127 chicks to fledging3 but reintroduction attempts have failed owing to disease, the inability to develop flocking behaviour, and predation by raptors.
Conservation measures proposed:
Protect breeding sites at Mesa Las Guacamayas and Cebadilla/Yahuirachic and Cocono/Cienaga de la Vaca from the exploitation of snags4. Adopt forestry policies that have longer rotation cycles and retain snags. Study movements using satellite-tracking.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 3.10 | Research actions - Other (needed) |
| 4.1 | Habitat and site-based actions - Maintenance/Conservation (needed) |
| 4.4.2 | Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas - Establishment (needed) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Bird Reference Citations. The numbers inserted in the text accounts above (usually in bold) refer to references. For further details on these references, click on the BirdLife International link above to go to the specific species account on the BirdLife web site. In some cases, particularly in the taxonomic notes, the references are cited using the author names. Details for these can be found on the BirdLife International web site at the following two places:
For References from A–L.
For References from M–Z. BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K. BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K. Collar, N.J. and Andrew, P. 1988. Birds to Watch. The ICBP World Checklist of Threatened Birds. ICBP Technical Publication No. 8. Page Bros. (Norwich) Ltd, Norfolk, England. Collar, N.J., Crosby, M.J. and Stattersfield, A.J. 1994. Birds to Watch 2. The World List of Threatened Birds BirdLife International. Page Bros (Norwich) Ltd, U.K. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1986. 1986 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. IUCN. 1990. 1990 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
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