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Psittacus erithacus
– Near Threatened
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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Psittacus erithacus
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Species Authority:
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Linnaeus, 1758
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Common Name/s:
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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NT 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. (BirdLife International), Butchart, S., Pilgrim, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority) & Ndang'ang'a, P.K. (BirdLife International - Africa)
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Justification:
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This species has been uplisted to Near Threatened because a recent analysis suggests that up to 21% of the global population may be harvested annually. In combination with the rate of ongoing habitat loss, the species is suspected to be declining moderately rapidly.
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History:
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| 1988 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 1994 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2000 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Least Concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2006 | - | Least Concern (BirdLife International 2006) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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Psittacus erithacus has a distribution extending from Guinea-Bissau east through the moist lowland forests of West Africa to Cameroon, and thence in the Congo forests to just east of the Albertine Rift (up to the shores of Lake Victoria) in Uganda and Kenya and south to northern Angola8. Preliminary calculations based on forest cover and country-level population estimates1,2,3,4,7 suggest a global population of between 680,000 and 13 million individuals10. Population declines have been noted in Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and parts of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo10. In all of these declines, trapping for the wild bird trade has been implicated, with habitat loss also having significant impacts throughout West and East Africa. Global population trends have not been quantified; there is evidence of a population decline through most of its range, but it is unclear if the species approaches the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List Vulnerable category (i.e. declining more than 30% in three generations). Until further clarification on the magnitude of declines is available, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
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Range Map:
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 (click for detailed map)
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Countries:
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Native:
Angola; Benin; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Mali; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao Tomé and Principe; Sierra Leone; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda
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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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Although typically inhabiting dense forest, they are commonly observed at forest edges, clearings, gallery forest, mangroves, wooded savannah, cultivated areas, and even gardens8, but it is not clear whether these are self-sustaining populations. At least in West Africa, the species makes seasonal movements out of the driest parts of the range in the dry season. It has never been seen in the isolated Marahoué National Park in Côte d'Ivoire, suggesting that it does not travel large distances between isolated forest blocks, or that some northern semi-deciduous forests are not preferred habitat11.
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System:
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Terrestrial; Freshwater
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.5 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry |
| 1.6 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland |
| 1.8 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Swamp |
| 1.9 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane |
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Threats
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Threats:
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However, the species has been heavily traded: from 1994-2003, over 359,000 wild-caught individuals were reportedly exported from range states12. It is one of the most popular avian pets in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East due to its longevity and unparalleled ability to mimic human speech and other sounds. Demand for wild birds is also increasing in China, and increased presence of Chinese businesses in central Africa (particularly for mining, oil and logging) may increase illegal exports of this species9,11. While there has been some domestic demand within range states, most impacts seem to be due to international trade, probably owing to the high value of this species10. Habitat loss is also thought to be having significant impacts throughout West and East Africa.
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List of Threats:
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| 1.1.1.2 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Agriculture - Crops - Small-holder farming (ongoing) |
| 1.3.3.3 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood - Clear-cutting (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:
As a result of concerns about international trade, P. e. princeps was put on CITES Appendix I in 1975, and the remainder of the species was put on CITES Appendix II with all Psittaciformes in 1981 at the request of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In 1994, the P. e. princeps CITES listing was removed due to lack of evidence that it is a valid subspecies. Due to concern about the effects of the large numbers of this species traded, it was the subject of a CITES significant trade review, in which it was listed as of "possible concern"6. The Animals Committee of CITES has recommended up to a two-year ban from January 2007 on exports of African Grey Parrots Psittacus erithacus from four West African countries (Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea), where the distinctive (sub)species timneh is found, and in Cameroon, where the more widespread (sub)species erithacus occurs. For a further two countries- Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo-the Committee has recommended that quotas should be halved to 4,000 and 5,000 birds respectively. The species occurs in a number of protected areas.
Conservation measures proposed:
Ensure that proposed trade restrictions are implemented. Monitor wild populations to determine ongoing trends.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 3.9 | Research actions - Trends/Monitoring (needed) |
| 5.3.2 | Species-based actions - Sustainable use - Trade management (needed) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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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 2006. Threatened Birds of the World 2006. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/05/2006. 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.
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