Thick-Billed Parrot Facts
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The thick-billed parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) is one of only two species of parrot that once inhabited the United States (the other is the Carolina parakeet, which is unfortunately extinct). They are bright green in color with a large black bill and red crown, shoulders and thighs.
Fast Facts
Height: About 15 inches.
Lifespan: Not much known about their lifespan in the wild, though they live over 30 years in captivity.
Diet
Thick-billed parrots primarily eat pine seeds and some acorns, though they are also known to eat juniper berries, conifer buds, agave nectar and insect larvae.
Population
There are currently approximately 500 to 2,000 thick-billed parrot pairs in the wild.
Did You Know?
The thick-billed parrot's genus name Rhynchopsitta is derived from the Ancient Greek words rhynchos which means beak and psitta which means parrot.
Range
The thick-billed parrot used to live in Arizona, but is now found only in northern Mexico. It is unusual in that it lives in high elevation temperate forests. The summer (breeding) range of the thick-billed parrot is limited to high elevation forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental of northwestern Mexico, in the states of Chihuahua, Sonora and Durango. The winter range is less well known but extends south and east, possibly as far south as Veracruz. See a thick-billed parrot range map >>
Behavior
Thick-billed parrots are highly social. They live in flocks and feed and roost in groups. They don’t mind cold weather, and have been seen eating snow as a water source. Their loud calls, which sound like human laughter, can be heard almost a mile away. On extended flights, thick-bills often fly in a V formation, much like geese.
Nests
During the breeding season, pairs find a nest cavity high in an old-growth pine tree (or in one area in Mexico, an old-growth aspen), and usually enlarge and modify the nest by chewing and spiting out or kicking out wood chips.
Reproduction
Mating Season: Summer.
Gestation: Eggs are usually laid between mid June and late July, and hatch between mid July and late August.
Clutch size: 2-3 eggs.
About 2 months after hatching (3 months after the eggs are laid), the young parrots leave the nest (fledge). For up to a year after hatching, the young are dependent on the parents to feed them and help them learn to forage.
Climate Change and Other Threats
Thick-billed parrots were likely hunted to extinction in Arizona. In their current range in Mexico, they are threatened primarily by logging, and to a lesser degree by trapping for the pet trade.
The thick-billed parrots’ preference for mature pine forests and mountainous Sky Island habitats make it particularly vulnerable to climate change. As species are pushed upslope, their habitat shrinks, to the point where they can literally be sent "over the top."
Finally, thick-billed parrots' ability to disperse may be limited by hotter, drier conditions in the surrounding desert. Climate change is also increasing fire threat and outbreaks of insects that could threaten the pine trees that provide their food supply.
Legal Status/Protection
- Endangered Species Act (ESA): Thick-billed parrots are listed as endangered under the ESA.
- IUCN Red List: Endangered.
- CITES: Thick-billed parrots are listed in Appendix I.
- Learn more about legal status and protection of thick-billed parrots >>
How You Can Help
- Help thick-billed parrots and other wildlife by adopting an animal at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
