Más y mejores nidos para la Cotorra Serrana Occidental

For almost two decades, Pronatura Noroeste has carried out conservation efforts for the Thick-billed Parrot in the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua. The research allowed to identify the conditions that this bird needs to survive, which has caused it to be one of the most endangered birds in the world.

One of the main problems that this bird has to face is the lack of mature trees with proper characteristics for nesting. The young don’t have an appropriate shelter to grow, they are more susceptible to low temperatures and die of hypothermia.

The Pronatura Noroeste team analyzed the conditions and characteristics of more than 500 trees used by the parrot, measured the altitude above sea level, slope exposure, tree height, and cavity size, between other. With this information, we designed and built an artificial wooden nest prototype, which use by the parrots was successfull.

So far, we have placed, with satisfactory results, a total of 46 artificial nests in the natural protected areas of Madera and Papigochic, in the Sierra Madre Occidental. During 2013 we installed 22 more nests that produced 44 fledglings, which means a survival rate of 86.2% of all hatchlings.Pronatura Noroeste installed 22 nests during the 2013 season that produced 44 fledglings, which means a survival rate of 86.2% of all hatchlings.

THICK-BILLED PARROT’S NEST SANITARY SYSTEM

Another problem faced by the parrots during the last 15 years has been the infections caused by fly larvae, which grow in their wing’s muscle and prevent them from flying. The most aggressive outbreaks occurred in 2000 and 2006. In 2000, only 31% of the young were able to fly and, in 2006, just one out of 22 fledgings survived.

To address this situation, in 2013 we applied a sanitary treatment made from marine algae, which controlled the outbreak and allowed to save 24 fledglings out of 35 eggs, representing a 68.5% success rate.