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Rare Parrots Gain Protection under the Endangered Species Act

Date
March 12, 2013
Contact
Taylor Jones (505) 490-5141
In This Release
Wildlife  
#EndangeredSpeciesAct
Washington, DC – In a step towards curtailing the harmful global trade in birds, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has listed the yellow-billed parrot (Amazona collaria) as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. The populations have declined in large part because of extensive collection of these attractive birds from the wild for the pet trade.

“Endangered Species Act protection is key for species taken from their homes for the pet trade,” said Taylor Jones, Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians. “Demand for these attractive, intelligent, and vocal birds drives poaching in their home ranges.”

Friends of Animals and WildEarth Guardians, with the University of Denver Environmental Law Clinic, reached a settlement with the FWS in July2010, in which the FWS agreed to provide overdue 12-month listing decisions for twelve parrot species petitioned by Friends of Animals. The agency is now in the process of finalizing the resulting proposed listings.

“After their meals of nuts and berries, blossoms and figs, yellow-billed parrots disperse the seeds that generate woodlands,” said Lee Hall, Vice President for Legal Affairs with Friends of Animals. “In contrast, human landowners remove these birds’ woodland habitats to plant crops, such as Blue Mountain Coffee, and to graze cattle and goats. On top of that, parrots are snatched and shipped off to live as caged pets. We’re optimistic that this milestone listing will promote genuine change.”

As the yellow-billed parrot is being listed as “threatened,” the Service is including a Special Rule under the ESA which would allow continued import or export of birds held in captivity prior to the listing date and of captive-bred birds. The species is also listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix II, which places some restrictions on international trade.

Yellow-billed parrots are endemic to Jamaica,where they nest in holes in mature trees. They are threatened by deforestation and bauxite mining. Nestlings and adult birds are captured for the pet trade,and adults are sometimes shot for damaging crops or gardens. These birds have a low reproductive rate, usually laying clutches of three eggs; only 30 percent of nesting pairs succeeded in laying eggs in a recent study.

Listing under the ESA has proven an effective safety net for imperiled species: more than 99percent of plants and animals listed under the Act persist today. The law is especially important as a bulwark against the current extinction crisis; plants and animals are disappearing at a rate much higher than the natural rate of extinction due to human activities. Scientists estimate that 227 species would have gone extinct if not for ESA listing.

 

Other Contact
Lee Hall, Friends of Animals, 610-964-0090 or leehall@friendsofanimals.org