JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Newsletter / Blog


2011-07-10
Puerto Rico Amazon - extremely endangered.


The Puerto Rican Amazon - Amazona vittata - also known as the Puerto Rican Parrot, is the only parrot indigenous to the USA left in the wild.  This parrot is extremely endangered. 

The bird is a predominantly green BIRD with a red forehead and white rings around the eyes. They reach sexual maturity between three and four years of age. Once the female lays eggs she will remain in the nest and continuously incubate them until hatching. The chicks are fed by both parents and will fledge in 60 to 65 days.

This parrot's diet is varied and consists of flowers, fruits, leaves, bark and nectar obtained from the forest.

This parrot is extremely endangered.  They were listed as an endangered species (one of the 10 most endangered birds in the world) back in 1967 and the number of birds in the wild are still under 40 to date.  The USFW has stepped forward to aid in a recovery project to try to increase wild populations with releasing captive bred birds. As we know, captive bred birds do not fair well in the wild.  Many of the skills that are taught by being a member of an established flock are lost when captive bred.  They did however build up over 100 of these birds for their captive breeding program.


Back Back to top
 

Follow JoSievers on TwitterCape Town Tourism

Kwikwap Website Consultant: Melanie


Hits to date: 3594840 This business website was developed using Kwikwap

Copyright © 2024 . All Rights Reserved.