Thick-billed Parrots
Encyclopedia
The thick-billed parrots are members of the parrot
genus Rhynchopsitta. The genus comprises two living species, the Thick-billed Parrot
and the Maroon-fronted Parrot
, as well as an extinct species from the Late Pleistocene
in Mexico
. The two extant taxa were formerly considered conspecific; they have become rare and are restricted to a few small areas in northern Mexico. The range of the Thick-billed Parrot formerly extended into the southwestern United States
; attempts at reintroduction have been unsuccessful so far.
s on the bend of the wing
, the carpal edge and the thighs. Their eye-rings are yellow, with the feet and beak
dark grey to black. Juveniles have a pale beak fading to grey at the base, whitish eye-rings, and a red brow, but lack the dark red stripes over the eye-rings. The Maroon-fronted Parrot
is generally dark green with maroon
-brown head markings and is between 40 cm (16 in) and 45 cm (18 in) in length while the Thick-billed Parrot is about 38 cm (15 in) long with brighter colours.
; the name is derived from the Ancient Greek
terms rhynchos "beak", and psitta "parrot". The two taxa were considered subspecies of a single species, before being split.
Rhynchopsitta phillipsi, a larger prehistoric relative, was described from Late Pleistocene
fossils found in Nuevo León
, Mexico
. It was not an ancestor to the living species, as bones of them were also found at San Josecito Cave when R. phillipsis remains were recovered. The prehistoric species had a distinct bill shape and may have occurred sympatrically with the Maroon-fronted Parrot
in the northern Sierra Madre Oriental
. Possibly its bill was adapted to feeding on a species of pine
which disappeared due to climate change
at the end of the last ice age
, driving it to extinction.
in Mexico in isolated island-like forest habitats in the Sierra Madre
, and are sometimes called snow parrots because of their high-altitude habitat. They show seasonal migration patterns, generally breeding in the northern parts of their range and overwintering in the southern. The Thick-billed Parrot nests in tree cavities
, while the Maroon-fronted Parrot is a cliff cavity breeder. The parrots roost at night in large flocks, while they forage during the day in smaller flocks over a large area. They feed primarily on pine seeds, which they extract by systematically stripping the cones
from the base to the top. They also eat other seeds such as acorn
s, as well as softer foods such as fruit
s, bark
, nectar, other vegetable matter, and insect
s.
and the Maroon-fronted Parrot as vulnerable
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The populations of both species have declined primarily due to habitat degradation, and now both are restricted to a few small areas in the mountains of northern Mexico. The range of the Thick-billed Parrot formerly extended into Arizona
and New Mexico
, and attempts are being made to breed the species in captivity for release into the wild in their former range in the USA. An earlier attempt in the 1980s and 1990s to reintroduce Thick-billed Parrots to Arizona failed because the captive-bred birds had not learned to avoid their natural and human predators, but new plans for the reintroduction of this species include the use of wild-caught individuals.
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
genus Rhynchopsitta. The genus comprises two living species, the Thick-billed Parrot
Thick-billed Parrot
The Thick-billed Parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha is an endangered, medium-sized, up to 38 cm long, bright green parrot with a large black bill and a red forecrown, shoulder and thighs...
and the Maroon-fronted Parrot
Maroon-fronted Parrot
The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound...
, as well as an extinct species from the Late Pleistocene
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The two extant taxa were formerly considered conspecific; they have become rare and are restricted to a few small areas in northern Mexico. The range of the Thick-billed Parrot formerly extended into the southwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; attempts at reintroduction have been unsuccessful so far.
Description
The two living species have a similar overall appearance, the principal differences lying in their relative sizes and brightness of colouration. Both are mainly green, with red or maroon markings on the forehead, forecrown, broad superciliary stripe, and featherFeather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s on the bend of the wing
Wing
A wing is an appendage with a surface that produces lift for flight or propulsion through the atmosphere, or through another gaseous or liquid fluid...
, the carpal edge and the thighs. Their eye-rings are yellow, with the feet and beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
dark grey to black. Juveniles have a pale beak fading to grey at the base, whitish eye-rings, and a red brow, but lack the dark red stripes over the eye-rings. The Maroon-fronted Parrot
Maroon-fronted Parrot
The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound...
is generally dark green with maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
-brown head markings and is between 40 cm (16 in) and 45 cm (18 in) in length while the Thick-billed Parrot is about 38 cm (15 in) long with brighter colours.
Taxonomy
The genus was described by French naturalist Charles Lucien BonaparteCharles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French naturalist and ornithologist.-Biography:...
; the name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
terms rhynchos "beak", and psitta "parrot". The two taxa were considered subspecies of a single species, before being split.
- Rhynchopsitta Bonaparte, 1854
- Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha (Swainson, 1827) (Thick-billed ParrotThick-billed ParrotThe Thick-billed Parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha is an endangered, medium-sized, up to 38 cm long, bright green parrot with a large black bill and a red forecrown, shoulder and thighs...
) - Rhynchopsitta terrisi Moore, 1947 (Maroon-fronted ParrotMaroon-fronted ParrotThe Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound...
) - †Rhynchopsitta phillipsi Rea, 1997 - extinct
- Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha (Swainson, 1827) (Thick-billed Parrot
Rhynchopsitta phillipsi, a larger prehistoric relative, was described from Late Pleistocene
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
fossils found in Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was not an ancestor to the living species, as bones of them were also found at San Josecito Cave when R. phillipsis remains were recovered. The prehistoric species had a distinct bill shape and may have occurred sympatrically with the Maroon-fronted Parrot
Maroon-fronted Parrot
The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound...
in the northern Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
. Possibly its bill was adapted to feeding on a species of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
which disappeared due to climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
at the end of the last ice age
Quaternary glaciation
Quaternary glaciation, also known as the Pleistocene glaciation, the current ice age or simply the ice age, refers to the period of the last few million years in which permanent ice sheets were established in Antarctica and perhaps Greenland, and fluctuating ice sheets have occurred elsewhere...
, driving it to extinction.
Ecology
Both extant species are found at heights of between 1500 and 3000 m aslAbove mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
in Mexico in isolated island-like forest habitats in the Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre
Sierra Madre may refer to one of several mountain ranges:*In Mexico:**Sierra Madre Occidental, a mountain range in northwestern Mexico and southern Arizona...
, and are sometimes called snow parrots because of their high-altitude habitat. They show seasonal migration patterns, generally breeding in the northern parts of their range and overwintering in the southern. The Thick-billed Parrot nests in tree cavities
Tree hollow
A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. These are predominantly found in old trees, whether living or not...
, while the Maroon-fronted Parrot is a cliff cavity breeder. The parrots roost at night in large flocks, while they forage during the day in smaller flocks over a large area. They feed primarily on pine seeds, which they extract by systematically stripping the cones
Conifer cone
A cone is an organ on plants in the division Pinophyta that contains the reproductive structures. The familiar woody cone is the female cone, which produces seeds. The male cones, which produce pollen, are usually herbaceous and much less conspicuous even at full maturity...
from the base to the top. They also eat other seeds such as acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s, as well as softer foods such as fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
, nectar, other vegetable matter, and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
Status
The Thick-billed Parrot is classified as endangeredEndangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
and the Maroon-fronted Parrot as vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The populations of both species have declined primarily due to habitat degradation, and now both are restricted to a few small areas in the mountains of northern Mexico. The range of the Thick-billed Parrot formerly extended into Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and attempts are being made to breed the species in captivity for release into the wild in their former range in the USA. An earlier attempt in the 1980s and 1990s to reintroduce Thick-billed Parrots to Arizona failed because the captive-bred birds had not learned to avoid their natural and human predators, but new plans for the reintroduction of this species include the use of wild-caught individuals.
Species
| Species | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Common and binomial names | Image | Description | Range |
| Thick-billed Parrot Thick-billed Parrot The Thick-billed Parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha is an endangered, medium-sized, up to 38 cm long, bright green parrot with a large black bill and a red forecrown, shoulder and thighs... (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) |
A mostly green medium-sized parrot, 38 cm (15 in) long. Adults have a large black bill. a red brow, amber irises, red at the bend of the wings, and red thighs. Juveniles have brown irises and a pale peak. The under-wings and tail appear blackish. | Sierra Madre Occidental Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins... in Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... (and reintroduced to USA) |
|
| Maroon-fronted Parrot Maroon-fronted Parrot The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound... (Rhynchopsitta terrisi) |
 |
A large mostly green parrot about 40 cm (16 in) to 45 cm (18 in) long. The adults have a dark maroon brow which extends over the rim of bare yellow skin that surrounds the eyes. They have a brighter red at the bend of the wing. The tail is long and pointed. The underside of the wings are blackish. | Sierra Madre Oriental Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico... in Mexico |
| †Rhynchopsitta phillipsi | Large parrot with a distinct bill shape | Late Pleistocene fossils of the extinct parrot have been found in Mexico. |