St. Vincent Amazon

(Amazona guildingii)

Project Status: Completed | 1990 - 2001

Collaborators/Funders

Andrew Greenwood, DVM, St. Vincent Dept of Natural Resources

Island parrot's numbers down to less than 800 individuals

Wild populations of the St. Vincent’s Amazon (Amazona guildingii) have been devastated by trapping for the live bird trade, hunting, and loss of habitat and nesting trees.

Project and progress: St. Vincent's Amazons have benefited from WPT's support for:

Population counts and habitat usage
Aiding breeding population in captivity
Educational material via a purpose-built bus

Outcomes: From 1990 to 2001, the World Parrot Trust supported the St. Vincent Amazon by providing veterinary help (Andrew Greenwood, 1994), funds to carry out much needed surveys of populations and habitat, and aviary construction for captive breeding populations. The Trust has also produced a very successful series of conservation educational buses in Central America, including one for the island of St. Vincent. Researchers have suggested to continue to monitor the population and build on existing protective measures, including the development of the captive breeding programme. They also recommend researching the reproductive biology and movements of the species.

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IUCN/CITES Status: Vulnerable / Appendix I

World population: about 734 individuals

Where found: Located only on the island of St. Vincent in the Lesser Antilles, West Indies.

History: The St. Vincent’s Amazon (Amazona guildingii) is found on the upper west and east ridges of Mt. Soufriere on the island of St. Vincent. The species’ greatest declines occurred in the 20th century until the early 1980s and was caused by trapping for the live bird trade, subsistence hunting, and loss of habitat and nesting sites from forestry and agriculture. These human pressures have resulted in a listing of Vulnerable by IUCN, Appendix I by CITES.

Threats:

Hunting for food
Trapping for the cage-bird trade
Habitat loss and conversion to agriculture
Loss of nest trees from poachers
Severe weather and volcanic activity
Introduction of species such as the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
Plans for a cross-country road that would increase deforestation
Genetic isolation of separate subpopulations

Ecology: This parrot inhabits mature moist forest at an elevation of 125 to 1000m (410-3280 ft), with occasional visits to cultivated areas and gardens. It feeds on the flowers, nuts, fruits and seeds of many plants such as Ficus, Clusia and Cecropia. Gregarious and usually in flocks of 20 to 30 birds, this Amazon is otherwise seen in pairs; birds will defend area around nest while breeding but will allow flocks of a dozen birds to be in the same area while feeding and roosting.