This was the first time I had ever seen a Parrot in the wild before. I have seen wild Lovebirds and Parakeets but never a true Parrot. I searched for this Parrot unsuccessfully in San Diego, so it was really cool to finally see one in Texas. I saw them nesting in palm trees as well during my trip, which was neat to see.
This particular parrot was all alone (which is unusual). He was eating in this tree in the parking lot of Estero Llano Grande State Park. It was a real surprise to find him there! He was as tame as ever and very beautiful. This is one of the few Parrots that the American Birding Association deems as countable. The birds in South Texas are feral or descendants of natural vagrants from Mexico. The other name for this bird is Red-crowned Amazon.
Unfortunately, this endemic Mexican Parrot is endangered and numbers are continuing to decline. There are only 1500 birds left in the wild in Mexico. The main reason they are declining is due to habitat loss and because they are being trapped and sold illegally to the US and within Mexico itself. Around 78,500 birds are captured and traded each year in Mexico.
We must do all we can to help end the cruel and illegal Parrot trade, where many Parrots die during transport, are sold in markets in tiny cages and whole wild bird populations are decimated.
Parrots are extremely social animals that live in flocks and fly long distances. Therefore, to be alone in a cage is very stressful for such an intelligent bird where they can no longer fly, groom and interact.
The industry is poorly regulated in Mexico and there is little enforcement for criminal activity. The best way to fight this problem is awareness, education, proper enforcement and jail time for poachers. Also, if you must have a parrot do not buy one but adopt a rescue bird instead.
