Health Assessments for Thick-Billed Parrots in Northern Mexico

Current populations of thick-billed parrots are threatened by habitat destruction and degradation. Biologists have proposed the translocation of thick-billed parrots within Mexico and from Mexico into the U.S. in an attempt to bolster existing populations and create a separate population outside of the Sierra Madres.

The San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research is honored to collaborate with the Mexican biologists’ ongoing field studies.

Health evaluations of individual birds and knowledge of disease prevalence at different nesting areas will allow wildlife managers to make science-based decisions regarding which nesting populations are suitable for translocation and which individuals are the best release candidates. Captive thick-billed parrots have proven to be highly susceptible to West Nile Virus (WNV) infection, and this disease has the potential to negatively impact free-living thick-billed parrot populations.

This proposal is based on the hypothesis that free-living thick-billed parrots have not been exposed to WNV due to their high elevation habitats and are immunologically naïve to these flaviviruses. They are at risk of developing fatal WNV infections if mosquito exposure increases or if birds are moved to WNV endemic areas. A vaccination strategy may be recommended to address this issue if birds are shown to lack natural immunity.

Taking biological samples is an added layer of research that will result in vital data for this collaborative conservation project.

This project is part of a larger conservation initiative that integrates health and genetic studies with existing ecological studies for the common purpose of preserving parrot populations and critical habitat. Mexican biologists are also adding nest boxes in different areas of thick-billed parrot habitat, to provide additional nesting sites for adult birds to raise their broods.

By monitoring their health and augmenting suitable nesting sites in trees, it is hoped this colorful bird will once again reign over its historic range.