A Texas A&M-led research team determined that a population of endangered red-crowned parrots is thriving in urban areas of South Texas.
“The parrots are a unique case, considering that many animal species are affected negatively by the expansion of human urban areas, which can lead to deforestation and pollution of natural habitats,” Courtney Price, a Communications Specialist with the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, explained in a press release.
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“These mostly green parrots, which have a cluster of bright red feathers on their heads, are also an unusual example of a species that has adapted well in the face of poaching and the pet trade moving them from their native areas,” Price continued.
The research team — led by Dr. Donald J. Brightsmith and graduate student Simon Kiacz, from the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ (VMBS) Department of Veterinary Pathobiology — recently published its findings in the scientific journal “Diversity.”
The red-crowned parrot (Amazona viridigenalis), is a medium-sized parrot native to northeastern Mexico. Like many other parrot species, red-crowned parrots have declined in their native range due to habitat destruction and threats from the pet trade.
In 1994, the red-crowned parrot’s wild population was estimated to number somewhere between 2,000 and 4,300 adults, leading the IUCN red list to classify this species as globally endangered.
Three significant populations occur within the United States, the researchers explained in their report. These populations are considered naturalized and owe their origins to released or escaped pets. One is in southern California, another in southern Florida, and a third U.S. population is located in the two southernmost Texas counties Hidalgo and Cameron.
Of the Texas population, Brightsmith said “Some of them certainly flew across the border, but many were brought over during the 1980s when it was still legal to buy and sell them.”
In the study, the researchers used species distribution modelling for the three isolated populations of red-crowned parrots to determine their current geographical range in the country, and the potential for range expansion; the important climatic and environmental drivers for red-crowned parrot presence in the country; and whether the populations of red-crowned parrots in the contiguous U.S. respond to climate and environmental variables similarly.
They obtained occurrence data for red-crowned parrots from two sources: sightings entered into a citizen science database and from four years of field work in South Texas.
“During data collection, I was looking for population information, trend information, the threats to the populations here in Texas, and habitat usage,” Kiacz said. “We wanted to understand how these birds are doing and what we might be able to do to help them.”
Through the course of their work, the researchers discovered that red-crowned parrots are thriving in urban areas of South Texas.
“There are four main roosts in South Texas,” Kiacz said. “Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco and McAllen all have a group of parrots living in those communities. We used trackers, mapping software and local knowledge to see where these birds were roosting, and then we just had to count them.”
He said the South Texas red-crowned parrots population consists of some 900 birds.
The species’ success in South Texas is unusual given that endangered species of plants and animals are rarely found thriving in urban environments.
“Humans have basically created the perfect environment for these parrots,” Kiacz said. “They want what we want — ornamental plants with fruit and seeds that are well-watered and look attractive all year-round.”
Since the parrots eat non-native species of plants, they haven’t caused much competition with other local species over food sources.
The only downside to the presence of these parrots, the researches said, is the noise.
“You’ll often see these birds roosting together,” Brightsmith said. “They sleep in groups of a hundred or more, and they may end up choosing someone’s front yard, even right over the mailbox. Then, when it gets light outside, they’ll start making noise and flying around. Some people find that to be a nuisance.”
The researchers hope that their work will raise awareness about red-crowned parrots and lead to improved conservation efforts.
“What we actually need is for people to understand how these birds live in urban environments,” Kiacz said. “Instead of trying to fund large nature preserves, which you might need to do for other species, the best help we can give these parrots is to teach people how to live with parrots as neighbors. For example, maybe you have a dead tree in your yard that doesn’t look very pretty, but it’s not a danger to you or your home,” he explained. “Consider keeping it so these parrots can nest there. That’s the best way to be a good neighbor to these birds.”