Vinaceous Amazon

(Amazona vinacea)

Project Status: Completed | 2011 - current

Collaborators/Funders

Brazilian Institute for Natural Resources (IBAMA), Lymington Foundation, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), Rufford Small Grants Foundation, Evet Loewen, Brazil Environmental State Agency, R3 Animal Rescue Center

Amazon endangered by human activities

The Vinaceous Amazon (Amazona vinacea) is struggling against extensive habitat loss, a burgeoning pet trade and a lack of proper nest sites.

Progress and outcomes: Since 2011, the World Parrot Trust has supported a series of actions to re-establish the species in areas of its historic range, providing funding for releases of confiscated birds, and giving logistical aid for preparing birds for return to the wild.

WPT Brazil Programme Manager Dr. Andre Saidenberg has worked with a number of in-country and world organisations, most notably the Lymington Foundation, to address the issues facing this species in Brazil. WPT-Brazil also participated in releases, the first of their kind, of Vinaceous Amazons with the R3 Animal organization in the state of Santa Catarina (S Brazil).

Focus of future work: Twenty-five birds were successfully released at the Lymington’s Foundation area in mid-2012, and a group of twenty-six was released in 2015. The project will continue to build on early successful reintroductions by further developing field research initiatives and local education and awareness. Further efforts will concentrate on increasing the capacity to rehabilitate confiscated birds from illegal trade, encouraging captive reproduction and management of the species, tracking and monitoring released birds, providing and managing artificial nest boxes around the release area.

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IUCN/CITES Status: Endangered / Appendix I

World population: 1000 - 2500

Where found: SE Brazil from S Bahia and W Espirito Santo south to NE Argentina, in Misiones and possibly NE Corrientes, and SE Paraguay.

History: The Vinaceous Amazon, or Amazona vinacea, has become rare throughout its large range. In Paraguay the remaining population has been estimated at 220 birds (Cockle et al. 2007). In S Brazil, several populations of more than 100 birds exist in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Parana. The total national count is about 1500-2000 birds (G. A. Bencke and A. E. Rupp in litt. 2009). Argentina surveys have found around 250 individuals.

Threats:

Extensive habitat loss and fragmentation
Trapping for the wild bird trade
Persecution as crop pest
Failure of breeding due to competition for and lack of nest sites

Ecology: The Vinaceous Amazon is found at altitudes up to 1200m (3936 ft), locally 2000m (6560 ft) in tropical and subtropical mixed evergreen forest, in Brazil humid coastal forest, and in E Paraguay Araucaria angustifolia stands and Euterpeedulis woodlands. They feed on flowers, fruits, seeds; may take cultivated crops, but impact from that is thought to be low. Birds are found generally in pairs or small flocks with larger groups of around 30 in July-August.