OLogy Cards > St. Vincent parrot

St. Vincent parrot

The St. Vincent parrot makes its home on the tropical island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean. These parrots are covered with feathers that represent every color of the rainbow, from orange to blue. They spend their time high up in the rain forest canopies, building nests, snacking on nuts and berries, and caring for their chicks. These gorgeous birds are on the Endangered Species List.

Stats

Scientific name: Amazona guildingii
Size: 12 to 15 inches long
Habitat: rain forests of St. Vincent Island in the Caribbean
Diet: fruits, nuts, berries, seeds, and leaves
Characteristics: white, blue, green, copper, and orange feathers
Significance: endangered due to habitat destruction, poaching, and the illegal pet trade

Stumper

St. Vincent parrots are endangered because:

people trap them illegally and sell them as pets

people are chopping down the trees in which they live

both A and B

Correct!

There may be only 500 St. Vincent parrots left in the world. Some people capture these birds to sell them as pets for thousands of dollars. Others chop down the parrots' rain forest homes to grow crops and build farms.

Stumper

The St. Vincent parrots fly in groups called:

flocks

gangs

herds

Correct!

The St. Vincent parrots fly in family groups called flocks. These flocks of parrots sometimes gather together in search of fruits, nuts, leaves, and other rain forest goodies.

Fact or Fiction

Natural disasters like hurricanes and erupting volcanoes threaten the St. Vincent parrot, too.

Fact

Fiction

Fact

In 1980, an erupting volcano destroyed many nesting sites on the island. A year later, Hurricane Allen blew through the island, destroying many of the parrots' nesting sites.

Fact or Fiction

One way scientists are trying to help the St. Vincent parrot is by teaching them to lay more eggs.

Fact

Fiction

Biologists soon hope to breed wild parrots and release them back into the wild again. But the best way to help these parrots is by preserving their rain forest habitats on St. Vincent Island.

Image credits: main image, courtesy of Mike Russello.

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