| Description |
pigeon sized; bright green overall; red forehead, eye stripe, and bend of wing, with red splotching on the thighs; a small patch of yellow on under wing coverts seen when in flight; adults have amber eyes surrounded by a yellow eye ring and black beak with dark grey legs and feet; wings and long green tail are both pointed |
| Sex |
so similar as to be virtually indistinguishable |
| Age |
juveniles have brown eyes and a flesh colored bill which turns black by the end of the first year; individuals may live 35-40 years |
| Length |
15-17" |
| Wingspan |
|
| Weight |
11-13 oz |
| Habitat |
high country pine and conifer forests |
| Status |
once inhabited the mountains of southern Arizona and south through the Sierra Madre mountains in western Mexico; extirpated from the U.S. by about 1920 through hunting activity; logging of large stands of old-growth forests in Mexico has taken a further toll on the remaining Mexican population; it is estimated that there now remains only 1000-4000 Thick-billed parrots in the wild; status is ENDANGERED; attempts to reestablish a population in Arizona during the 1980s was unsuccessful due to the birdsâ?? inability to elude a well established population of predator species |
| Range |
high mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental in western Mexico, migrating to their winter breeding range south of Durango to Colima and Michoacan, Mexico |
| Behavior |
social birds that live in large flocks; an adult pair may stay together for life; nesting pairs have been known to share trees with up to three nests in one tree; breeding occurs in mid-summer to mid-fall to coincide with the peak of pine seed production; one clutch of 1-4 eggs is laid in a cavity next in a large conifer (old woodpecker holes are preferred); incubation is 28 days; hatchlings attempt their first flights at approximately 2 months, but remain dependent on parents until about 7 months |
| Diet |
primarily pine seeds from various pine species are the preferred food; will also eat acorns, conifer buds and other food |
| Vocalization |
large repertoire of calls; screech that can be heard up to 2 miles |
| Other Information |
- The Thick-billed parrot is one of only two parrots formerly native to the U.S. The other (the Carolina Parakeet) is extinct |
