Mexico’s Hidden Mountain Wonder - The Maroon-Fronted Parrot

By Lenore Raffle

In the National Aviary’s continuing effort to become more involved in worldwide conservation projects, the Maroon-fronted Parrot project is the newest addition. The Maroon-fronted Parrot (Rhynchopsitta terrisi), a close relative to the more widely known Thick-billed Parrot (R. pachyrhyncha), is slightly larger, darker green, and maroon on the head where Thick-bills are red. The Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains in the Mexican states of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon are the breeding range of the Maroon-fronts, with an estimated population of 3,000. Like the Thick-bills, they feed mainly on pine seeds in their breeding range of temperate pine-oak forest.

The similarities between these two endangered species, including their voices, are quite obvious, but their differences make each very unique. Whereas Thick-bills nest in tree cavities, Maroon-fronts nest in cavities of limestone cliffs, making access to nest sites extremely difficult. Even though some nests may be only 10 meters from the base of the cliff, others are located near the top, possibly 250 meters from the base, which is about the height of the US Steel Tower. Even if a nest hole can be reached, the cavity is usually very deep with several turns before ending in the chamber where the Maroon-fronts lay their eggs and raise their chicks. Thus, the handling of the eggs and chicks for research is impossible, and, presently, all research in the field is purely observational.

I spent two and a half weeks in October 2003 assisting the Mexican research team from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) with the project. I was stationed at Los Condominios, one of the most important sites with approximately 20 nests, located in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park in Nuevo Leon. The main nest site, El Taray, is located in Coahuila, where the government is in the process of making this land a protected area. During my stay we hiked daily to the cliff to record the times when parrots would enter and leave the nest cavities. Other pertinent information is recorded as well, such as hearing or seeing the chick(s) in a nest cavity or the sight of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) or Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), which prey on the Maroon-fronts, especially inexperienced juveniles. The most amazing sight during my visit was watching a flock of 200 to 300 Maroon-fronted Parrots. The non-breeding birds form these flocks in preparation for migration. These smaller flocks will then join as one larger flock, maybe greater than 1,000, at another site and travel east to their wintering grounds in the state of Tamaulipas. After this flock left Los Condominios, I saw no more than 80 to 100 parrots each day.

As with most conservation projects, much work still needs to be done. Researchers are in need of manpower and money to keep the project running. Educating the locals on the plight of the parrot and protecting not only the breeding range, but also the wintering grounds, would be a helpful step in preserving this species. Hopefully, with increasing awareness of this little-known parrot by U.S. zoos and other institutions, in conjunction with the continuing ITESM research project, the Maroon-fronted Parrot will not go extinct.

Pictures courtesy of GABRIELA ORTIZ and ERNESTO ENKERLIN of LOS CONDOMINIOS.