Endangered Parrots Threatened By Deforestation And Climate Change

Thick-billed parrot populations have declined to fewer than 2000 individuals due to habitat loss, logging and climate change

Thick-Billed Parrots, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha, at Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire, England. A juvenile is in front of an adult, both perching on a rope in an aviary. The juvenile has a pale beak and the adult has a dark peak. (Credit: Paul Reynolds / CC BY 2.0)

Thick-billed parrots, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha, are an enigma. Despite their ecological and cultural importance, especially to indigenous peoples, combined with the fact they historically lived in the southwestern United States, we know surprisingly little about them. Currently, their small population is declining due to habitat loss and degradation, and also as the worsening climate crisis continues to squeeze suitable habitat into ever-smaller areas. For these reasons, the species is listed as Endangered.

To learn a little more about these mysterious parrots, a cross-border collaboration of scientists based in the Unites States at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and in Mexico at the Organización Vida Silvestre A.C., tagged dozens of thick-billed parrots with tiny solar-powered satellite transmitters to track their movements. Thanks to these efforts, new critical habitat for the parrots has been revealed, 80% of which has no formal protections.