15 Puerto Rican Parrots Released Into The Wild

This conservation effort, is the ninth release of this highly endangered species into Puerto Rico's Rio Abajo Nature Preserve since 2006:


15 endangered Puerto Rican parrots released into wild

 

Hope they do well! I've always wanted to see a Puerto Rican Amazon.

Are any kept in captivity outside of Puerto Rico?

~Thylo

 

DAK was planning to house a pair.

 

The effort started with Patuxent and since Puerto Rico's very own FWS has taken over. It seems the species is rebounding - like the Californian condor - from an all-time low of 13 in 1975!

 

Great story ! Thanks for sharing Blackduiker ! Hope this can be done with more species in the ( near ) future.

 

I can remember this species being on the very brink of extinction back in the 1970s.

 

More released :
16 Puerto Rican Amazons released to the wild | Parrots Daily News

 

This species is fantastic, I'm so happy that releases are happening.

 

Any idea about how the total wild numbers of ca. 100 parrots is distributed nowadays? Is it no longer just restricted to Luquillo Forest?

It seems the Puerto Rican Amazon program to me reflects the similar success stories with other Caribbean parrot conservation efforts. A parallel may be drawn to the Durrell Institute's Mauritius parakeet project here!


As to captive numbers up till 300. I believe the Rio Abajo aviary is the rehab / release site aviary. Where are all others held?

 

It's all in the article KB. There are 80 - 90 wild birds around Rio Abajo and 20 individuals are in El Yunque National Park in the North East of Puerto Rico. The second captive bred facility is also in that national park. And in 2016 they will start releases in Maricao to create a third wild population.

And there have been talks about sending one post-breeding pair to DAK for educational purposes but I m not sure if that went through.

 

@DDCorvus, thanx for the comments.

I clicked on the Spanish feature that it was linked to and found all what you wrote re Rio Abajo and El Yunque.

It is good to know the population is slowly spreading and that a new reintroduction site in Maricao will come on stream.

It seems to me that perhaps Rio Abajo is now pretty much filled up with a population of 80-90 birds. It would seem the other population in El Yunque is then no more than 10 wild birds ... Correct?

 

You're welcome KB. I was told that in El Yunque there are around 20 birds and hopefully that number will grow the coming years.

 

More on re-introducing Puerto Rico amazones :
https://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.c...-parrots-reintroduced-into-maricao-&_ID=35903

 

This is a new area for the amazons with 31 released 30.11.2016 in the Maricoa Commonwealth Forest, thus creating a 3rd location. In all, with both captive-breeding centers in the other 2 protected areas (with Puerto Rican amazons) at El Yunque and Rio Abajo there are now 500 birds. Wild population is only 130-140 at the moment. It is a start though.

 

Article about the conservation-succes for this species :

The Puerto Rican Parrot (amazona vittata) Brought Back to Life

 

Looks like these parrots are the only way the species survived Hurricane Irma:

How the Puerto Rican Parrot Survived the Devastating 2017 Hurricane Season

 

The only place that keeps Puerto Rican Parrots outside of Puerto Rico is the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

 

Non breeding individual(s) right?

 

It seems the Luquillo population has been significantly reduced as the critical biomass / forest cover / nesting trees cum cover has been devastated and almost gone. The newly established Rio Abajo population - which was far more robust anyway prior to the Hurricane Irma season - seems to have escaped relatively unscathed and the forest cover et cetera is much better.

BTW: with a captive assurance population of 450 birds, it seems the Puerto Rican amazon as a species remains secure.

 

Correct, two males.