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Court Settlement Requires Final Recovery Plan by June 2013
Contact: Jay Tutchton 720-301-3843

Tucson, AZ-Dec 16. To settle a lawsuit brought by WildEarth Guardians, InteriorSecretary Ken Salazar has agreed to prepare a recovery plan for thethick-billed parrot, in keeping with the legal requirements of the EndangeredSpecies Act (“ESA”), by June 30, 2013. Secretary Salazar must issue a draft recovery plan, building on a parrotrecovery plan promulgated by Mexico earlier this year, for public comment byJune 30, 2012.

The thick-billed parrot is one of only two parrotspecies originally found in the United States. The other, the Carolina parakeet, was driven to extinctionover 70 years ago. Thick-billedparrots once filled the skies of Arizona and New Mexico in flocks of thousands,until the destruction of their old growth pine forest habitat and huntingextirpated them from this country. Today, the thick-billed parrot survives only in the Sierra MadreOccidental in Mexico, about 60 miles south of the Arizona border. However, in the recovery plan requiredby the Settlement Agreement, Secretary Salazar must consider recovery of thisspecies in the United States.

The United States has listed the thick-billedparrot as an endangered species since the inception of the Endangered SpeciesAct in 1973, but until today’s Agreement, the Secretary had never consideredwriting an ESA recovery plan for the species as required by the Act.

“Our view is better late than never. We are delighted that the thick-billedparrot will finally receive one of the most basic protections of the ESA – aplan to recover it from the edge of extinction,” said Jay Tutchton, attorneyfor WildEarth Guardians in the suit. “Our hope is that the Secretary’s Plan will lead to the return of thisbeautiful bird and our only remaining native parrot.”

Approximately 2,000 to 2,800 adult thick-billedparrots remain in the wild in Mexico where loggers have destroyed 99.5% of thebird’s best habitat and the pet trade continues to threaten the species. An attempt at reintroducing the Parrotinto southeastern Arizona in the 1980s and 1990s – conducted outside of theEndangered Species Act process – failed. About a fourth of the 88 reintroduced birds were captive-bred and thuswere never taught by their parents how to effectively flock, forage, or avoidpredators. The remainder of thereintroduced flock, wild-caught birds liberated from the pet trade, faredbetter but suffered setbacks from drought and fire. Though scientists believe reintroduction could be successfulif this highly social bird could be released in large enough numbers, theattempt was terminated in 1993 and the reintroduced flock was not seen after1995.

“Bringing the Parrot back will require more thanwriting a recovery plan and throwing it in a drawer. Secretary Salazar must first write a good plan and thenbegin, a consistent, dedicated effort, in collaboration with Mexico, to protectpine forest habitat and enforce restrictions on the pet trade if we are goingto save this species,” concluded Tutchton. “Today’s settlement agreement is a step in the rightdirection. After 37 years of delay we have forced the Secretary to take up hislegal pen and begin an effort to restore this irreplaceable piece of ournational heritage.”

For a copy of the Settlement Agreement and CourtOrder or background information, contact Jay Tutchton or view the species’ profile here.