Born to be Wild
JB: This is Earth and Sky. The Puerto Rican parrot is Puerto Rico’s only native parrot, and one of the rarest birds in the world.
DB: The parrot and its habitat are strictly protected by Federal and Puerto Rican laws. To boost wild populations, a program is underway to raise parrots in captivity and release them to the wild. These captive parrots have to undergo a rigorous training program. Researchers teach them how to forage for fruits and seeds by giving the parrots whole fruiting branches gathered from the forest. The parrots learn to recognize the right trees and to search for food among the branches.
JB: The parrots’ main predator is the red-tailed hawk. The captive-reared parrots instinctively squawk and flee when a tethered hawk flies at their cage. But the parrots also need to recognize early predictors of a predator’s attack. Researchers imitate the whistle-call of a soaring red-tailed hawk, then parrots see a “flyover” of a hawk silhouette via a cable and pulley system suspended over the cage. The hawk flyover and whistle-call combination are followed by a simulated attack on the cage by a trained red-tailed hawk.
DB: Last year, 16 parrots were released in El Yunque, the Caribbean National Forest. All but one are still alive. Special thanks today to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and to the U.S. Forest Service. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth and Sky.
The following people were interviewed for today’s show. Our thanks to:
Thomas H. White, Jr.
Rio Grande Field Office
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Joseph M. Wunderle Jr
FS Wildlife Biologist
International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Puerto Rico
The following books, articles and web sites were used in preparing this script:
White, Thomas H., “PROPOSED USE OF A LIVE HISPANIOLAN PARROT (Amazona ventralis) AS A PREDATION SURROGATE FOR PUERTO RICAN PARROTS (A. vittata) PRIOR TO THEIR RELEASE IN THE CARIBBEAN NATIONAL FOREST”
USDA Forest Service Caribbean National Forest http://www.r8web.com/caribbean/ Learn more about the Puerto Rican parrot and efforts to save it from extinction
Author’s Notes:
It’s estimated that before the Spanish arrived in Puerto Rico five hundred years ago, there were about a million of these little green birds on the island. In 1971, however, mostly as a result mostly of deforestation, researchers counted only sixteen parrots in the wild and three in captivity.
Most all the parrots released have been hatched from captive birds, although a few have been the product of a technique called double-clutching” of wild nests. This means removing the first clutch of eggs from a wild nest to stimulate the female to lay a second clutch, which she then is allowed to incubate/raise normally. The removed eggs are then hatched by a foster pair in the aviary, thus resulting in twice the number of progeny produced from the double-clutched nest. We have then taken some of the parrots so produced and released them back into the wild. However, this technique cannot be used with all wild nests (as some pairs are more sensitive to disturbance than others) and because it requires an aviary pair in synchrony with the wild nest.
Each bird is equipped with a small radiotransmitter prior to release. The battery lasts about 1 year. The range varies with topography, but can be anywhere from 1-3 miles.
Additional Teacher Resources
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Division of Endangered Species: Puerto Rican Parrot, Amazona vittata
This report provides a detailed natural history of the Puerto Rican parrot including, family, status, reproduction and development, captive propagation program, range and population level, habitat, reason for current status, and management and protection.
National AudubonSociety, WatchList: Puerto Rican Parrot
Once abundant throughout Puerto Rico, the endemic Puerto Rican Parrot is now perilously close to extinction. The future of this critically endangered species depends on the long-term success of an ongoing program of research and intervention. This site gives a brief natural history of the Puerto Rican parrot as well as the current threats, conservation efforts, and a great section for students entitled “what can you do?”
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, News Release: Return to Freedom! Retorno a la libertad! Captive-Bred Puerto Rican Parrots Released in El Yunque
For the first time in history, ten captive-bred endangered Puerto Rican parrots were released to join the last 40 parrots existing in the wild. This article tells the story of this inaugural event in 2000.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, News Release: Flight to Freedom! Five Captive Puerto Rican Parrots are Released Into the Carribbean National Forest
This article explains how five captive Puerto Rican parrots joined the 23 to 36 wild parrots remaining deep in Puerto Rico’s tropical rainforest. The captive-bred birds were raised in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Luquillo Aviary in the Caribbean National Forest.
