Animal Fact Sheet
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Thick-Billed Parrot
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
What does it look
like?
Both males and females are bright green. Their forehead, eye stripe,
bend of wing and thighs are red in color. When sitting in shady
trees of the pine forests, the green coloring helps to blend in
with the pine needles and the red coloring is so dark it appears
black They also have a black beak with dark grey legs and feet.
There is a little bit of yellow coloring under wing coverts that
can be seen when they are in flight. They are about 15-16 inches
in length and weigh about ½-3/4 lbs.
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| Where
in the world?
The thick-billed parrot was once found in the high elevation pine
forests of southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It is now
only found in highland forests, pine forests and foothills of northern
and central Mexico. Mainly, the Sierra Madre of northwestern Mexico.
What are some behaviors?
During feeding time, both the hooked bill and zygodactyl feet (two
toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backwards) are in full
use and manipulation. When foraging for food, it will often use
its bill for grasping and climbing and balance. The strong fleshy
tongue is used to steady the seed on the underside of its upper
mandible and the lower mandible is used to cut the peel away from
the seed coat. These are diurnal birds, living in flocks of less
than a dozen to a 1000. They are very social and vocal and can be
heard up to 2 miles away.
What about offspring?
They tend to nest from early July to September. They prefer to nest
in dead or decaying pines. The female can lay a clutch of two to
four eggs and will incubate them for a month. During this time,
the male forages for the female and regurgitates food for her. Once
the eggs hatch, the male must also provide food for the chicks.
The chicks will stay in the nest for two months before they start
to practice some flight. At about 7 months of age they are completely
independent and the nest site becomes completely abandoned by the
family. |
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What does it eat?
Primarily pine cone seeds as well as acorns, fruits and other plant
material. In captivity, they are often fed fruits, vegetables, seeds,
nuts, and a commercial parrot pellet diet such as Zupreem biscuits
or Roudybush. The last two items are especially made for parrots
and have all the necessary nutrients a captive parrot would need
to be healthy.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
The parrots died out of Arizona due to the pine forest being cleared
out for the mining industry. They are currently endangered due to
logging and capture for the pet trade. The Living Desert works together
with other institutions to breed this species in captivity. With
the help of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, there have been
efforts to release these birds back into their native historical
habitat of Arizona. Between 1986- 1992, the efforts have been encouraging
but unsuccessful in reestablishing thickbills in Arizona. |
