Nest Poaching in Neotropical Parrots

Abstract

Although the poaching of nestlings for the pet trade is thought to contribute to the decline of many species of parrots, its effects have been poorly demonstrated. We calculated rates of mortality due to nest poaching in 23 studies of Neotropical parrots, representing 4024 nesting attempts in 21 species and 14 countries. We also examined how poaching rates vary with geographic region, presence of active protection programs, conservation status and economic value of a species, and passage of the U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act. The average poaching rate across all studies was 30% of all nests observed. Thirteen studies reported poaching rates of ≥20%, and four reported rates openface> 70%. Only six studies documented no nest poaching. Of these, four were conducted on islands in the Caribbean region, which had significantly lower poaching rates than the mainland Neotropics. The other two studies that showed no poaching were conducted on the two species with the lowest economic value in our sample ( U.S. retail price). In four studies that allowed direct comparison between poaching at sites with active nest protection versus that at unprotected sites, poaching rates were significantly lower at protected sites, suggesting that active protection efforts can be effective in reducing nest poaching. In those studies conducted both before and after the passage of the U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act, poaching rates were found to be significantly lower following its enactment than in the period before. This result supports the hypothesis that the legal and illegal parrot trades are positively related, rather than inversely related as has been suggested by avicultural interests. Overall, our study indicates that poaching of parrot nestlings for economic gain is a widespread and biologically significant source of nest mortality in Neotropical parrots.

Nesting success and productivity of Tucuman Parrots(Amazona tucumana)in high-altitude forests of Argentina: do they differ from lowlandAmazonaparrots?

“…High rates of nesting success for Thick-billed Parrots have also been attributed in part to low rates of poaching (1 of 187 nests) (Monterrubio et al 2002). Many studies reporting low reproductive output for parrots were conducted in areas where poaching affects productivity and nesting success (Martuscelli 1995;Wright et al 2001;Rodríguez Castillo and Eberhard 2006;Sanz and Rodríguez Ferraro 2006). However for some species, low productivity can be explained not by the influence of poaching but by high levels of predation and low food availability (Renton and Salinas Melgoza 2004).…”

Population Viability Analysis of the Blue-Throated Macaw (Ara glaucogu-laris) Using Individual-Based and Cohort-Based PVA Programs

“…Wright et al [69] suggested that the average nest poaching rate in neotropical parrots is 30%, while Gonzales [70] documented harvesting quotas of 61.1%…”

Ingreso de psittacidos al centro de atención de fauna (CAV–CVS), durante los años 2007-2009

“…Es de anotar que la mayor parte de los individuos que ingresan al centro se encuentran en estado juvenil o neonatos, extraídos de sus nidadas. Dicha extracción de nidos es un factor de mortalidad de psitácidos generalizado y biológicamente significativo (15). Para México, se conoce que la cadena captura, transporte, distribución y venta, genera mortalidades estimadas del 77% de los individuos antes de poder ser entregados al consumidor, dado al trato inhumano que se le da a los individuos (16).…”