Maroon-fronted Parrot

The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large, macaw-like parrot. It is dark green with a dark red shoulder and a maroon forehead and eye-stripe. Its underside of the wings and tail appear to be black when it is in flight. It makes a high, rolling cr-a ak sound. Groups sound similar to the Acorn Woodpecker if they are heard from a distance.

The species is endemic to northeast Mexico, where only about 2500–3000 birds survive in the wild.

Description

The Maroon-fronted Parrot is a large mostly green parrot about 45 cm (18 in) long. The adults have a dark maroon brow which extends over the rim of bare yellow skin that surrounds the eyes. They have a brighter red at the bend of the wing. The tail is long and pointed. The underside of the wings are blackish. The juvenile has a pale beak, whitish eye-rings, and lack the dark maroon stripe over each eye.

Habitat

Maroon-fronted Parrots live in mature pine, mixed conifer, and pine-oak forests from 2000 to 3500 meters. This bird is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental in Nuevo León, Coahuila and Tamaulipas, Mexico.

Behaviour

They nest in limestone cliffs near moving water in large colonies. Breeding coincides with the fruition of pines, which is its main food source. They lay one to three eggs in July and the juveniles fledge around November. They migrate over short distances seasonally.

Status and conservation

This bird is considered vulnerable due to overgrazing and habitat destruction. It is estimated that only 2500–3000 birds remain, while 95 to 110 young are produced in a year.

The ITESM Campus Monterrey carry out environmental education programs and science research in Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey and Sierra de Arteaga for the conservation of Maroon-fronted Parrots.