The Puerto Rican parrot is a beautiful bird native to the islands of Puerto Rico. They are medium sized parrots and absolutely gorgeous birds. Most of their feathers are shades of emerald green with bright blue undersides. Their foreheads are a bright red, and they have white rings around their dark eyes.
In 1968, the Puerto Rican parrot was in grave danger. There were only about 24 left in the wild. It was one of the 10 most rare birds in the world. Scientists and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services decided to work together to save the beautiful birds and started the Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Program. By 1994, the population had increased to around 39, but today the odds are looking even better. e captive populations are growing. There are currently approximately 200 of these birds in captivity. The wild population has also increased to around 100.
• It is also called the Puerto Rican amazon or Iguaca.
• It is the only bird native to the islands.
• The birds eat flowers, fruit, leaves, bark and nectar.
• They are usually around 11 inches long and weigh around 250 grams.
• The species became endangered because the forests in which they live were destroyed for farming sugar cane, cotton, corn and rice.
• Many farmers hunted the bird.
• They nest in cavities, usually ones that form naturally in trees.
• Many now nest in boxes made especially for them. These boxes are safer than trees and can help to replace the parrots’ habitat.
• The nesting boxes are between 23 and 49 feet above ground.
• The natural predator of the parrot are birds of prey like the red-tailed hawk and the peregrine falcon.
• Rats and Indian mongooses have also been known to eat the parrots’ eggs.
• Now, because there are so few trees on the island, hurricanes are also dangerous for the parrot populations because the storms can destroy their nests.
• These parrots can only be found on the Puerto Rican islands.
For more information visit the following sites:
Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot
Parrots.org.
