Thick-billed Parrot conservation efforts deliver positive results
After years of conservation efforts, there are signs that Mexico's population of the endangered Thick-billed Parrot is recovering.
The parrot, now endemic to Mexico but formerly also found in the US, has predominantly green plumage, with red carpal and head patches, as well as a bulky dark bill.
It is found in pine forests between 1,500 m and 3,000 m above sea level in Mexico's western Sierra Madre, where it nests in tree cavities and feeds mainly on pine nuts. In winter, it moves to central and south-western Mexico.
Conservation efforts have seen the Thick-billed Parrot population in Mexico grow by more than 10% in recent years, raising hopes the species may find its own way back to the USA (JavAlverezS via Wikimedia Commons).
Endangered parrot
BirdLife International classifies the species as Critically Endangered due to habitat destruction and illegal trading. It has vanished from Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, where large flocks were once common. The last confirmed sightings for these states were in 1938 and 1964 respectively.
Attempts to reintroduce captive-bred birds to the Sky Islands mountain range in Arizona in the 1990s and 2010s were unsuccessful. However, a new reintroduction effort in the Chiricahua Mountains, also Arizona, was proposed in October 2020.
Since 1995, conservation efforts in Mexico have focused on habitat restoration and protection. Reforestation projects led by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and the Organisation Vida Silvestre (OVIS), with support from local communities and international partners, are showing signs of success.
Recent increase
According to a CONANP announcement in November 2024, the Thick-billed Parrot population increased by more than 10% over the past 12 years, reaching around 2,500 individuals. This estimate is based on counts at breeding, feeding and roost sites in the state of Chihuahua. Sustainable forest management by local communities is expected to further boost the species' recovery.
Pedro Alvarez Icaza, commissioner for CONANP, described Thick-billed Parrot as an emblematic species of the western Sierra Madre's temperate forests and an example of successful collaboration between local communities and the Mexican government.
Sergio Jiménez, Executive Director of OVIS, has welcomed the support of the institutions involved, while Ernesto Enkerlin Hoeflich, OVIS Scientific Director, expressed hope that the recovery of the species would serve as a model for other endangered wildlife in Mexico.
If the population continues to grow, it is hoped that Thick-billed Parrot may in time recolonise its former breeding grounds in the south-western US without human intervention.
