Why hasn't the Puerto Rican parrot recovered?

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Thu, Apr 30 2009 at 1:15 PM

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Endangered Species, Extinction, Animal Research, Wild Animals

Despite more than 40 years of conservation efforts, the Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata) remains one of the world's most critically endangered birds, with only an estimated 30 to 40 parrots left in the wild. They exist in just a single location, Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Forest.

Why has the population languished? A new study, published in this month's issue of the journal Ecological Monographs, blames a number of factors, including inbreeding, low hatch rates, the inability find mates... and hurricanes.

According to the study, hurricanes are the primary recent factor keeping the parrot's population from growing. In just one example, 1989's Hurricane Hugo killed more than half of the wild parrots, reducing their population from 47 to 22.

Before this study, predators were assumed to be the biggest reason why Puerto Rican parrot populations has remained stagnant. Now, it looks like environmental factors have an even greater role, especially since the core population is already so small.

The authors of this study have recommended creating a second wild population of parrots elsewhere on Puerto Rico, to help reduce the risk of extinction from hurricane strikes. They report that the process to create a second habitat has already been initiated.

Let's hope they move quickly. Over the last ten years, global warming has created a 40% increase in the number of tropical storms and hurricanes in the North Atlantic. This year's hurricane season is fast approaching. Who knows that the next storm will bring ... or take away, forever.

Story by John Platt. This article originally appeared in Plenty in May 2008.

Copyright Environ Press 2008

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Comments: 2

antigonum cajan Aug 16 2009 at 9:06 AM

NO need to go to Harvard. Any species will only survive with the required biodiversity, ecological environment. Puerto Rico, the San Juan Metro Area and moving along towards el YUNQUE, has become an asphalt/concrete jungle of highways, roads, housing projects, more housing projects surrounding this rainforest and expanding daily. HOW can anything recover? It is a waste of money and time to attempt to make anything survive out of CONTEXT. Thas is why the parrot and many others are doomed. Concrete/

.... More

asphalt is not an option!/A

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Ricardo Jun 05 2009 at 10:09 AM

There has been another population of the Puertorican parrot aside from that of the el Yunque forest since 1994, it is located in the Rio Abajo State Forest. The captive population on the Rio Abajo Forest now numbers 140 birds. Since 2006 there has been a second wild population also in the Rio Abao Forest, this population now stands at between 30 and 35 birds. The Rio Abajo population is managed by the Department of Natural and Enviromental Resources of Puerto Rico in cooperation with the USFWS.

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