A recent report from The Courthouse News advises that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has initiated a status review of 12 parrot species to see whether they warrant listing under the Endangered Species Act. Acting on a 2008 Petition from Friends of Animals, the Service found that it contained sufficient data to warrant the full review. The 12 parrot species are: the Crimson Shining Parrot (Prosopeia splendens), the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus), the Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera), the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), the Military Macaw (Ara militaris), the Philippine Cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona viridigenalis), the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha), the White Cockatoo (Cacatua alba), the Yellow-billed Parrot (Amazona collaria), and the Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea). These 12 species are under significant threat from habitat degradation, capture for the international pet trade and low reproduction rates. In 1990 nearly 150,000 parrots were imported into the United States, but after Congress passed the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 – which restricted trade in birds considered endangered by other countries – the number of parrots imported fell to just 17,000 per year. www.courthousenews.com

Editor’s Note: We have subsequently learned that, in all, 14 species are to be added to the Endangered Species Act, a move to which Parrots International is opposed.  Our President, Mark Stafford, has sent the following letter to the Division of Policy and Directives Management at the US Fish and Wildlife Service:

As president of Parrots International I am forwarding the official position statement of Parrots International in opposition to the proposed addition of 14 species to the Endangered Species Act (FWS-R9-IA-2009-0016).

Parrots International is a non-profit organization dedicated to field research and conservation of endangered parrot species. We have extensive experience regarding in situ parrot conservation. We work in strategic international partnerships to promote parrot conservation in the wild. We presently have over 14 field research and parrot conservation projects in Central American, South America and the Caribbean. The USFWS awarded Parrots International the “Partnership in Conservation” award in 2006 for our support of the USFWS captive breeding and recovery efforts for the Puerto Rican Parrot, and, Parrots International is an official USFWS fundraiser and consultant for the USFWS Puerto Rican Parrot Recovery Project.

Parrots International is funding and involved in active conservation projects in the field (in situ) with the following species proposed for addition to the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA):

Blue-throated Macaw (Ara glaucogularis) – Beni Department, Bolivia
Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) - Costa Rica
Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) – Pantanal, Mato Grosso de Sul, Brazil
Military Macaw (Ara militaris) – Oaxaca State, Mexico
Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) – Guatemala and Nicaragua