Most people think parrots live only in tropical climates, but the endangered thick-billed parrot prefers higher elevations.

SABO.org

The thick-billed parrot is one of only two parrot species whose natural range once included the United States.

They have adapted quite nicely to the northern-type conifer forests of central Mexico. Until the early 20th century, its range once included southern areas of Arizona and New Mexico south to Venezuela in South America. Along with the extinct Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis), the thick-billed parrot is one of only two parrot species whose natural range once included the United States. The parrots died out of Arizona due to pine forests being cleared out for the mining industry. They are currently endangered due to logging and capture for the pet trade. It is believed that half of the world's thick-billed parrots live in a 6,000-acre tract of forest in Chihuahua, which is the birds' most important nesting area.

Both males and females thick-billed parrots are bright green. Their forehead, eye stripe, bend of wing and thighs are red in color. When sitting in shady trees of the pine forests, the green coloring helps to blend in with the pine needles and the red coloring is so dark it appears black They also have a black beak with dark grey legs and feet. There is a little bit of yellow coloring under wing coverts that can be seen when they are in flight. They are about 15-16 inches in length and weigh about 8-12 oz.

Like other parrot species, thick-billed parrots are intelligent, curious, and social birds, living together in flocks all year. Records from the past tell us of sightings of flocks numbering in the thousands; however, current flock sizes range from 12 to 1,000 birds. Within the flock there is a particular "pecking order" and rules each parrot must follow. Thick-billed parrots are quite noisy: their calls to each other in flight sound like children laughing. They will also alert other members of the flock if predators are near.

These high-elevation parrots are pine specialists, dependent upon large stands of pine, spruce and fir for both food and nesting. They mainly eat pinecone seeds, but also acorns, fruits, and other seeds found within their range. Flocks of thick-billeds are known to wander up to 25 km from nest and roost sites in search of suitable foraging spots. While feeding, a sentinel is usually posted to scan the skies for raptors while the flock feeds. Flocks are usually very systematic when working a small group of pine trees, leaving very little behind. Individuals are similarly thorough when stripping a cone of seeds; methodically consuming an entire cone can take a bird up to twenty minutes.

An adult male and female may stay together as a pair for life. In 2006, researchers in Madera, Chihuahua, Mexico, found that many nesting pairs shared trees, with up to three nests per tree. They tend to nest from early July to September and prefer to nest in dead or decaying pines. The female can lay a clutch of two to four eggs and will incubate them for a month. During this time, the male forages for the female and regurgitates food for her. Once the eggs hatch, the male must also provide food for the chicks. The chicks will stay in the nest for two months before they start to practice some flight. At about 7 months of age they are completely independent and the nest site becomes completely abandoned by the family.

With the help of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, there have been efforts to release these birds back into their native historical habitat of Arizona. Between 1986 - 1992, the efforts have been encouraging but unsuccessful in reestablishing thickbills in Arizona. The re-introduction into the mountains of southeastern Arizona (the Madrean sky islands region of Arizona), though well planned, was dramatically impacted by predation. Due to extensive human development, residency, agriculture, etc., high numbers of predator species exist, especially hawks. The bird loss was especially high to these now well-emplaced predator species. A future attempt at introduction would have to include an ecosystem area that somehow limits the success of the numerous predator species. In 1996, the Phoenix Zoo joined this conservation effort by providing a breeding facility located on the Arizona Trail.

According to some sources, thick billed parrots may be on the rebound from a population numbering about 600 birds in the northern high Sierra Madre Occidental. Keep abreast of conservation efforts in the ConSci newsletter put out quarterly by our Director of Conservation and Science, Dr. Roberto Aguilar