Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T18:46:59.517Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Status and conservation of Imperial and Red-necked Parrots Amazona imperalis and A. arausiaca on Dominica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

Peter G. H. Evans
Peter G. H. Evans
Affiliation:
Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OXi 3PS, U.K.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Populations of both Imperial and Red-necked Parrots on Dominica have declined during the present century with substantial contractions in range, particularly from the southern portion of the island. Parrot densities may be relatively low anyway due to the effects of centuries of hunting. However, declines have been accelerated by habitat destruction and loss of food plants and nesting sites as a result of both human encroachment on the forest and damage caused by Hurricanes David and Allen in 1979 and 1980 respectively. The hunting of birds for meat and for the live cage-bird trade were important threats in the past but conservation education programmes over the last 10 years, and enforcement of legislation prohibiting those activities, have greatly reduced these pressures. Ten years after the debilitating effects of the two hurricanes, the populations of both parrot species (but particularly Red-necks) are showing signs of recovery. Present estimates (May 1990) are of c.80 Imperial Parrots and c.300 Red-necked Parrots in the wild. The major threat to both parrot species is presently habitat destruction, with forested areas being cleared at an accelerating rate for the planting of tree crops, particularly bananas. This process has been aided by recent development programmes towards the building and improvement of feeder roads, making previously remote areas much more accessible. The need for the north-west portion of the Northern Forest Reserve (which includes the entire Morne Diablotin massif) to be declared a national park is ever more critical if the two parrot species are to survive in the long term.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , March 1991 , pp. 11 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1991

References

Butler, P. (1982) Impact of logging on the Dominica Parrot. Unpublished report to CIDA. Roseau, Dominica: Forestry Division.Google Scholar
Butler, P. (1989) The Imperial or Sisserou Parrot and Red-necked Parrot, a new beginning. RARE Center for Tropical Bird Conservation.Google Scholar
Central Statistical Office (1988) The years of growth 1978-1988. Roseau, Dominica: Ministry of Finance.Google Scholar
Clark, A. H. (1905) The West Indian parrots. Auk 22: 337–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, P. G. H. (1986) Dominica multiple land use project. Ambio 15: 82–89.Google Scholar
Evans, P. G. H. (1987) Arguments against development of the Dyer Estate for agriculture alone. Memorandum to Director of Forestry and Wildlife, Roseau, Dominica.Google Scholar
Evans, P. G. H. (1988) The conservation status of Imperial and Red-necked Parrots on Dominica. Cambridge, U.K.: International Council for Bird Preservation (Study Report 21).Google Scholar
Evans, P. G. H. (1989) Dominica multiple land use project. Pp.81–88 in Wildlife Management in the Caribbean Islands. Proceedings of the 4th Meeting of Caribbean Foresters. Rio Pedras, Puerto Rico: Institute of Tropical Forestry.Google Scholar
Evans, P. G. H. and Grieve, A. (1978) Aspects of the biology of the Imperial and Red-necked Parrots. Oxford: unpublished report to the Royal Society.Google Scholar
Division, Forestry (1981) Emergency protection for the Amazona parrots of Dominica following the passage of Hurricane David. Roseau, Dominica: unpublished report to World Wildlife Fund.Google Scholar
Gregoire, F. W. (1981) The dilemma of the Amazona imperialis and Amazona arausiaca parrots in Dominica following Hurricane David in 1979. Pp. 161–167 in Pasquier, R. F., ed. Conservation of New World parrots. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press for the International Council for Bird Preservation (Techn. Publ. 1).Google Scholar
Howes, P. G. (1929) The mountains of Dominica. Natural History 29: 595–610.Google Scholar
International Council for Bird Preservation (1990) The development of Morne Diablotin National Park and Nature Centre in the Commonwealth of Dominica 1990 to 1993. Roseau, Dominica: Forestry & Wildlife Division; Cambridge, U.K.: International Council for Bird Preservation.Google Scholar
Lawrence, G. N. (1878) Catalogue of the birds of Dominica from collections made for the Smithsonian Institution by Frederick A. Ober, together with his notes and observations. Proc. U.S. Natn. Mus. 31: 48–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawrence, G. N. (1880) Description of a new species of parrot of the genus Chrysotis, from the island of Dominica. Proc. U.S. Natn. Mus. 3: 254–257.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lugo, A. E., Applefield, M., Pool, D. J. and McDonald, R. B. (1983) The impact of Hurricane David on the forests of Dominica. Can. J. Forestry Res. 13: 201–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maximea, C. C. (1983) Proposed water-catchment and wilderness preserve: Morne Plaisance, Dyer, Syndicate, Milton, Jude Estates area. Memoranda (August 9 and August 16, 1983) to Permanent Secretary/Agriculture. Roseau, Dominica: Forestry Division.Google Scholar
Nichols, H. A. J., Nichols, C. A., van Vliet, G. B. and Gray, G. S. (1976) Endangered amazons of Dominica: the Imperial and Arausiaca Parrots. Unpublished report to ICBP, Washington, U.S.A.Google Scholar
Nichols, T. D. (1981) Observation on Amazona imperialis during the second nesting season after Hurricane David. Unpublished report to ICBP, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Nichols, T. D. (1986) Amazona imperialis and a story of an Albatross. Amazona Newsletter Suppl. No. 1.Google Scholar
Ober, F. A. (1878) Ornithological exploration of the Caribee Islands. Ann. Rep. Smithson. Inst. for year 1878: 446–451.Google Scholar
Porter, S. (1929) In search of the Imperial Parrot. Avic. Mag. (4) 7: 240–246, 267-275.Google Scholar
Snyder, N. F. R. and Snyder, H. A. (1979) An assessment of the status of parrots of Dominica following Hurricane David. Unpublished report to ICBP.Google Scholar
Snyder, N. F. R. and Taapken, J. D. (1978) Puerto Rican Parrots and nest predation by Pearly-eyed Thrashers. Pp. 113–120 in Temple, S. A., ed. Endangered birds – management techniques for preserving threatened species. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.Google Scholar
Verrill, G. E. (1892) Fauna of the Island of Dominica: order Psittaci. Trans. Connect. Acad. Arts and Sciences 8: 327–329.Google Scholar
Verrill, G. E. (1905) Addition to the avifauna of Dominica. Notes of species hitherto unrecorded with descriptions of three new species and a list of all birds now known to occur on the island. Barbados: privately published.Google Scholar
Wiley, J. (1981) The Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata): its decline and the program for its conservation. Pp. 133–159 in Pasquier, R. F., ed. Conservation of New World parrots. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press for International Council for Bird Preservation (Techn. Publ. 1).Google Scholar
Zamore, M. (1982) Effect of rotary (logging) operations at Morne Plaisance on parrot populations. Memorandum (30 June 1982) to Director of Forestry, Forestry Division, Roseau, Dominica.Google Scholar