ILl !

AmericanBirds, Spring 1992 in Guatemala

• '•' t'sthe day after the D, ay of the knowthat this is theday that some of •' DeadinGuatemalas westernBack themget to tastefreedom. The eight birdsthat formedpairs during their incarcerationdo knowthat theywere •.• /highlands.• ismostly over,Theand maizecolorful harvestlit- W h e r e rudelyseparated from their mates the bratingtheir leisure with small, hand- daybefore; plenty of reasonto squawk. ,.• tieknots ofMayan children arecele- In predawnlight, the biologists motivationsmadekites. asThey kite-flying have thekids same any- t hey removeda wire panelfrom the cage. Nowthey are waiting for thebirds to loft their ambitious constructions, to makethe next move. This morning cul- • where:leash theto elements.make the windaplaymate, to belong minates years of work by the biologists; • Duringyesterday's celebrations their if successful,it will closea 100-yeargap parentsflew huge fanciful kites over the in theecological history of Guatemala. tombsof ancestors.When theyfelt the By Chris In the1870s, a Frenchornithologist, spiritstug on thestring, the kite was AdolpheBoucard, reported seeing releasedto the sky.Communication Wille MilitaryMacaws in western Guatemala. acrossthe mortal gulf. Mission accom- His claim waswidely doubtedand plished. even ridiculedbecause he reported Now,at sunriseon November 2, 1991,a group thebirds nesting on cliffs, when everybody knew ofAmerican and Guatemalan biologists ishuddled that macawsnest in tree cavities. His was the last at thefoot of SantaMaria volcano. They are about officialsighting of militarismexicana in tocast their collective aspirations tothe chill winds. Guatemala. They,too, hope to connect with ancestral spirits. Thespecies once ranged from northern Mexico Behindthe biologists, eleven Military toArgentina. At present,Military Macaws have a croakand groan on their perches in a largeenclo- curiousdistribution, leapfrogging Central America sure.Macaws seem to dislikesilence the way nature toreappear inColombia. This particular race is now abhorsavacuum. They fill it withnoise. They don't foundonly in Mexico,but still on both coasts and

Volume 46, Number 1 ß25 in numbersthat one ornithologist de- remainingforests on theCaribbean lish macaws.It wasdesigned and scribedas "holding on, but not safe." slopeof Costa Rica, Nicaragua, financedby twomen from different Quite a fewMilitary Macawsare Honduras, and Panama. Some orni- generations,different backgrounds, in captivity,especially lone individu- thologistsbelieve that this is a differentideologies. They share avast als in resort hotels on Mexico's Pacific long-separatedsubspecies of the knowledgeand love of birdsand coast,but, becausethey are not as Military .In all, thereis an somethingelse: they are both accus- brightlypainted as other macaws, and unhealthydearth of macawnoise in tomedto winning. becauseof theirpoor cage manners, Central America. Richard Schubot is the owner of militariesare not so persecuted bythe The biologistshunkered this theAvicultural Breeding and Research live-bird trade. morningon the slopes of SantaMaria Center in Loxahatchee,Florida, and It isthe only large macaw aimto remedythat unseemly calm, at a part-ownerof ParrotJungle in thatregularly ventures into the high- leastin thisone valley just a fewmin- Miami, one of the oldest and most lands(up to at least2,500 meters). utesdrive south of Quetzaltenango,experienced private bird zoosin the Thishigh living and the fact that it Guatemala'ssecond-largest city. The country.Schubot is nota biologist. does,as Boucard reported, frequendy hopeis that these eleven captive-bred He retiredwealthy after a "lifetimeof neston cliffs, may also make the mil- birdswill colonizethe valleyand 12-hourdays" managing hotels and itaryless appealing to poachers. establishastable breeding population. McDonalds restaurants. Severalspecies of macawsonce It'sa gamble.Very little is known Nine yearsago, Schubot says, "I rangedwidely from Mexicodown about"hacking" . There have went out to buy my wife a finch, throughthe Central American isth- beenonly two otherscientifically becauseshe wanted a bird, and some- mus;all arenow gready reduced. In designedattempts to reintroduce one told her fincheswere quiet. I Guatemala, ScarletMacaws were last psittacinesinto theirnative habitat. boughta cockatoo,instead. I spent a seenon the west side in the late 1960s. The United States Fish and Wildlife lotof money on that cockatoo, because Bythe 1970s,they were gone from Serviceand cooperatingstate and somevet told me it had 'pigeon almostthe entire PacificCoast, wink- federalagencies are trying to rebuild malaria.' I never found out what ing out in El Salvadorfirst, then thewild populationof PuertoRican 'pigeonmalaria' was. Still don't know." Honduras,Mexico, and Nicaragua. Parrots, now down to an estimated Warmingto the recollectionthe Remnantpopulations ofScarlets hang 30 .A similarconsortium, again way he warmedto birds, Schubot onin CostaRica's west side parks and ledby thefeds, is releasing Thick- recalls:"Then I boughta rosecocka- in Panama. billed Parrots into historically too. Then I went to California and The Great Green or Buffon's recordedrange in Arizona. bought300 parrots." Macaw(Ara ambigua)survives in Thisis the first attempt to reestab- Like most of us, Schubot didn't have room in his home for 300 parrots,but, unlike • most of us, he could do =' somethingabout it. He • quicklybought some land •'•,/5 outsideofLoxahatchee and builtpens overnight. Now Schubot's avicul- tural centercovers 40 acres, houses700 birds, and em- ploys30 techniciansand a

The Military Macawswere kept in a large pen speciallyde- signedto developtheir flight muscles and to acclimate the birds to the Guatemala. cli- mate. Most of the birds formedpairs, and only one bird from each pair was re- leased. As the biologists hoped,the liberated birds re- turned to their mates at night.

26 ßAmerican Birds, Spring 1992 veterinarian.He breedseight species back to the birds. He donated a mil- forthe curtain to goup. The cage has of macawsand 16 speciesof cocka- liondollars to TexasA&M for a pro- been open for an hour, but the toos. He is the world's foremost gramin aviculturalresearch. His cen- macawshaven't budged from their breeder of the Black Palm Cockatoo. teris contributing birds and expertise perches. They're emitting those His center is one of the most to the Thick-billed reintro- morningnoises that makeparrot sophisticatedanywhere. The nursery ductioncampaign. He is working ownersso unpopularin suburban aloneis 17 roomsand 5,000 square with the Indonesiangovernment to neighborhoods. feet;there are two rooms just to clean breed and reintroduce the endan- If youstart asking questions about anddry feeding syringes. There is a geredRothschild's Myna. And he is conservationor ecologyin Guate- deluxe kitchen with microwavesand supportingthis Guatemalan experi- mala,you will soonbe directed to Jay a walk-in refrigerator.Cages are cleanedby dunking them into 500- gallontanks of disinfectant. His med- icallab can produce blood-test results from a sick bird in 40 minutes. Schubotbreeds and sellsbirds, but he'snot runninga petshop. Custo- mers come with referencesand must agreeto histerms, which include a promiseof givingthe bird two to three hoursof "qualityplaytime" everyday. The birdsrequire social interac- tion, Schubotsays, and you have to spendtime with them,"even if it's onlywatching television together." At the moment,Schubot reports, JayVannini, left,and Richard Schubot, businessmen biologistswith agreat love ofbirds and a taste for success. the Umbrella (Great White) Cockatoo,Salmon-crested Cockatoo, mentwith Military Macaws. Vannini'stop-floor office in a glass and Blue-and-goldMacaw are the Theother two psittacine reintro- towerin GuatemalaCity. Vannini mostsought-after pets. The United ductionprograms--with Thick- didn'tset out to be a focalpoint Statesparrot trade is major, estimated billed Parrots and Puerto Rican Par- in Guatemala'seco-politics. Like by the World Wildlife Fund to rots--have had mixedresults at best. Schubot,he's a businessman,involved involveabout $300 million in annual Schubotfervently hopes for success in theproduction and export ofcof- retailsales. A flamboyantand lovable withthe Military Macaws to "show fee,cardamom, and macadamia. He's cockatoo or macaw can fetch thou- whatwe can do, to prove the value of donewell in the unforgiving and risky sands of dollars. But Schubot, the ourknowledge."His very presence commodities trade because heinves- retiredbusinessman, says he is not in thismorning at the release site is evi- tigatesfor himselfevery causality, this businessto make money.He denceof hisinterest in thenew pro- fromthe pH ofthe soils on his farms claimsto belosing $1 milliona year ject;with delicate health complicated tothe credit references ofthe sheik at the AviculturalBreeding and bya borrowedliver, Schubot isrisk- who buysa boatloadof his car- ResearchCenter, "which I don't like, inghis life. At 1,600meters, the air damom.He doesn't follow the pack, butit's got to bedone." isthin and he is far from medical care. andhe doesn't believe everything peo- Schubot knows that at least 77 of But Schubotwouldn't miss this pietell him. the world's332 parrot speciesare moment,nor would his partner in Thesesame traits have made threatenedor endangered.He knows thisecologicalenterprise,JayVannini. Vannini an importantforce in that habitat destruction is the main Therising sun is blocked by the green CentralAmerican conservation. With culprit, but that the developedshoulder ofneighboring Santo Tomas littleformal training in biology, he is nations'insatiable appetite for flashy Peculvolcano, and the dawn light is anauthority on Guatemala's reptiles featheredpets is contributing to the gatheringslowly. Even though there's and amphibians. Hehas helped iden- declineof manyspecies. nothingto dobut shiver and wait, tifynew species and new distributions The formerhotel and hamburger Vanninibounces from one thing to oflizards, snakes, and frogs. As a child magnatewants to givesomething another;a nervous director waiting inDallas, he developed a fondness for Volume 46, Number 1 ß27 snakesand kept a studycollection of aboutthe Mayanunderworld. He birdscannot glide along the ceiling strikinglyvenomous serpents for 28 seemsto knowthe name of everyliv- from the highperches to the food years,recently abdicating the hobby ing thingin English,Spanish, and box. This forces them to exercise becausehe, his wife, and their 15-year Latin,and has the remarkable ability theirwing muscles. Native trees grow olddaughter were all getting jumpy to alwaysbe right without being withinthe cage. around the house. annoying. Vannini chose the release site for Vannini formed and initially Maria Jos•Gonzales, the director itssemi-protected forest cover and its of Guatemala'supstart locationhalfway between the last his- wildlifedepartment and a toricalsighting of MilitaryMacaws in supporterof the macaw Guatemalaand the Chiapas area of reintroduction says of Mexico.The presentrange of the •. Vannini, "He not only birdsextends over both slopesof knows the answers, he can Mexico's Sierra del Madre in the state cite references." of Chiapasand stops at theGuate- This is not the founda- malaborder. Biologists with Con- tion'sonly experience with servationInternational have report- hackingbirds. The Guate- edlyseen Military Macaws in Mexico's malans,in conjunctionwith exuberantsouthernmost rainforest, Whilein the holdingpen, the macawswere given fruits thePeregrine Fund, were the the SelvaLacandona, a biosphere andseeds from the surroundingforest so that they first to breed and releaseBat reserveand one of thegroup's prior- would know what to look for in the wiM. Falcons.And they were the ity "biodiversityhotspots." funded the Fundaci6n Interamericana first to breed, hack, and radio-track The opendoor of theflight pen de Investigaci6nTropical (Inter- SpectacledOwls. But, since nobody looksdown on a ravine defined by the americanFoundation for Tropical hastried thisbefore with macaws,no- RioSamalfi and a highway, and cradles Research). Under this umbrella, bodyknows what will happen. the villageof SantaMaria deJesfis. Vannini and a loose collection of Everyattempt has been made to Acrossthe valley is the darkly forested Guatemalan and North American sci- easethe birds' transition from captiv- westernslope of SantoTomas Pecul entistsconduct field investigations, ity to freedom. They have been in this volcano.This ravine,Vannini says, publish,and support conservation flight cage for sixmonths, acdimat- probablyhas the same exposure, alti- programs.Many of theseefforts are ingand learning to eat •. promisingenough to win the backing local wild foods. The ofprestigious international agencies. birds, representing six The macawproject, for example,is bloodlines, are the • -- partiallysupported by the World progenyof wild Mil- • Wildlife Fund. itary Macaws from Thefoundation selects promising Mexico. They were biologystudents from Guatemala's hatched at Schubot's ' nationaluniversity and gives them aviculturalfacility. In fieldexperience and an opportunity fact, the man who towork with leading national and for- helpedthem pip their eignscientists. Two of thesebiolo- shells,Trent Swigert, gists-in-training,Luis Gaitfin and is here to see their Guatemalanbiologists Luis Gait•n, left, andJorge L6pez, Jorge L6pez, are involvedin the right,explained the programto residentsof localvillages, graduation, along mostof whomhad neverseen a free-flyingmacaw. macaw release and are now huddled with Kevin Clubb, the with thegroup on the hillside. curator of the avicultural center. tudeand ecotones of thespot where Vanniniattended a boy's school in Thispilot projectwas especially AdolpheBoucard reported nesting Englandand still would not look out designedto reduce risks and maximize MilitaryMacaws back in 1877. ofplace on a squashcourt. He fooled oppornmitiestolearn as much as pos- The biologistshoped that the with collegefor a whilein California sible,Clubb says. macawswould develop a socialhier- andmoved to Guatemala16 years Theholding pen itself is one inno- archyin thepen, and they were not ago.He canquote with equal enthu- vation.It is large,10 by 20 meters, disappointed.The alphapair is a siasm from Mencken or P. J. andirregularly shaped. There is a three-year-oldmale and the oldest O'Rourke.He hasa novel in progress one-meter trough in theroof so that bird,a four-year-old hen. Three other 28 ßAmerican Birds, Spring 1992 pairsformed and found areshrieking what might their placein thepecking be encouragement.The andpreening order. biologistsare speechless. The pairbond between One bird hesitates at the macaws,Clubb says, is one gate and then it, too, of thestrongest in nature. launches itself into the Thebiologists had planned new world. to takeadvantage of this A macaw circles back fidelityby carefullyclip- towardthe cage and crash- pingthe primary feathers landsin a nearbypine tree. of one member of each A caretaker rushes over to pair. The shorn birds find it hangingupside would then serveas mag- downby one talon, the nets,keeping their freed way parrotsdo, looking matesfrom drifting out of bemused. Vannini is thevalley. This technique watchinga bird that has isused at ParrotJungle and flownnearly up the face of other facilities where some the volcano acrossthe val- birdsare allowed to flyfree. ley.It iscircling, fighting The plan,Vannini says, air currents,and growing wasto wait a fewdays until smaller in the binoculars. the liberated birds had Vanniniis pleadingwith established"site fidelity" the macaw under his andthen surgically reinstall breath,begging it to turn theclipped flight feathers back.He istugging at an of the others.This opera- invisiblekite string.But tion,called "impeding," is it's too late. The ancient usedby falconersto repair ones have this bird. "He'll be back,"Vanni- damagedpinions. But in The acclimation center was situat• on a hillside b•n •o vol- discussingthis formula canosin an a•a much like the one •e• Mil• Ma•ws we• la• ni saysconfidently, scan- with RobertBerry of the •n in Guatemala,mo• than 100 yea. ago. For months,the ningthe ridge over which bi•s we• ke• in this cage,which was spicily desknedto de- themacaw disappeared. PeregrineFund, the biolo- veloptheir fii•t s•11s. gistshit uponthe simpler Flocks of Green Con- ideaof splitting the pairs with a fence. Maria. The valleyfills with warm ures speed overhead. Eastern Now thebirds spend a lot of time •t. Theobse•crs immediately turn Bluebirdsland on the fence. The par- at the partition,billing with their backtowaM •e flightcage. The pho- rot-loverseye the conures but ignore matesthrough the fence like spouses tographers rachet down their f-stop the bluebirdsand othersongbirds, atthe jailhouse gate. Even now, on the rings.The macawsturn up thevol- whichthey call "softbills"in a tone morningof the greatescape, the ume.And then,as if theyhad been approachingdisdain. macawsare ignoring the gaping hole discussingit all along,•ree macaws Eventhough she is near the open in thewire and paying no attention leave the perchand fly directly door,the alpha female elects to stay to thegaggle of biologistsshivering •rou• •e opendoon behind with her mate, choosing in thedawn breeze. Instead, they are Asthey spread their wings for the fidelityover freedom. Occasionally, watchingtheir matesand creaking first time in unfetteredspaces, the one of the macaws circles back over likethe hinges on a dungeondoor. angledsun transforms the military theflight cage. The naturalistslook Exceptfor Vannini,all the natu- green of their feathersinto tri- on with the satisfactionof parents ralists decide to wander down the umphant,glittering emerald. Their watchinga child remove her bicycle's mountain in search of coffee. first deepwingbeats reveal flight trainingwheels. Suddenly,the sun, which had been fearersof remarkableblue. They are Gaitfinand L6pez descend to the slowlyclimbing the backside ofSanto suddenlycreatures of colorand glory. villageto spreadthe word that the Tomas, reaches the summit and In seconds&ey are far over &e valley, macawsare on the loose. The support shootsa golden arrow across the val- flyingheavily, each crosswind ta•ng ofthe local people is essential, and the ley,hitdng precisely the peak of Santa themby surpfse. The penned biMs biologistshave already conducted Volume 46, Number educationprograms throughout the a populationis oneof thequestion $500each to grow and ship; he is will- region,using one deliberately tamed marksthat shadowsthis project. ing to put anotherdozen or sointo macaw as a prop. Thereare small isolated populations the project. Since the Green Conures and other in Central America that seem to be Vanniniprides himself in beingan smallparrots in thearea are pests in stable. Vannini believesthat there are iconoclast.He enjoyslampooning the corn fields, some farmers were only30 to 40 ScarletMacaws left in thescientific establishment by, for waryof hosting what they saw as giant Belize, and some of the flocks surviv- example,rediscovering species that corneaters. The biologists explained scientists have de- that the macaws would feed in the claredlocally extinct forestand encouraged the locals to (he calls this "snark considerthem a sourceof pride, a liv- hunting"). At the ingsouvenir of theirnatural ancestral sametime, he strives heritage. to buildbridges be- The first rule of wildlife reintro- tween factions, such ductionsmight be: Do noharm. One as aviculturists and risk is the introduction of disease. researchbiologists, Thereare two speciesof Amazona who are sometimes parrotsin thearea in additionto the coming at conser- GreenConures. To prevent spreading vationfrom opposite infectiousdisease orparasites to these directions.Perhaps wildbirds, the Military Macaws were this is becausehe lives carefullyexamined and inoculated. Free; The liberatedbirds immediately tested their wings in a societythat dem- overthe valley. Thetraining in captivitypaid o• although "Wewanted to protectwild birds theywere clumsy at first, the macawsflew strongly. onstratesthe brutal, andgive these guys every chance," says dead-end result of KevinClubb. "They have a lot to learn ingin CostaRica may be even small- uncheckedpolarization. rightaway. Fortunately, they are smart, er.If largeflocks are necessary tosus- Guatemala has suffered a castewar andthere are no competitors here." tain a speciesof macaws,we can for500 years. In theirfrustration and No competitors,perhaps, but alreadysay good-bye to the Spix's, bitterness,both the guerrillas and the plentyof predators.Jack Clinton- Lear's,and Buffon'smacaws, which armyhave achieved a level of violence Eitniear, directorof the Center for the exist in limited numbers. thatAmnesty International rates as Study of Tropical Birds in San Nevertheless,the question of flock one of the worst in the world. In this Antonio,Texas, reports that predators size raises another issue that is sensi- atmosphere,normally contentious havebeen a problemwith therein- tivewithin groups like the one hap- conservationistshave little appetite troduction of Thick-billed Parrots in pilywatching the Military Macaws for choosingsides. Vannini is fully Arizona.It's unfortunate, he says, that flappingover the valley of Santa Maria aware,for example,of the debate the macawswill have no wild birds to deJesfis: How muchcan commercial overwhether saving single species is coachthem in predatorresponse. breeders,even large-scale breeders futilein theface of full-scaleecosys- "Jaysbirds will have to learnabout suchas Schubot, really do to help stop temdestruction. But he does not play predatorsby watchingsomeone thedecline in birdsfavored as pets? into thearguments over ecological amongthem be sacrificed," Clinton- Many environmentalistslook ideology. Eitniearsays. askanceat cagedbirds. Kevin Clubb Conservation,he says,is like busi- AlthoughClinton-Eitniear was admits: "Aviculturists call themselves ness:A mindsetframed in desperation one of the first advocates of the conservationistsbecause they are 'sav- andhopelessness automatically puts macawrelease, he doubts that it will ingbirds for the future' and reducing youat a disadvantage.Schubot, the resultin a breedingpopulation. "I'm pressureon wild populations by sup- otherhalf of thisornithological odd no geneticist,"he says,"but I would plyingthe pet trade. But in theeyes couple,agrees. When your business is guessthat you would have to release of manyconservationists, weare still in trouble,he notes, you have to call severalhundred macaws tokeep pace justconsumers of wild birds." on an uninvolved outsider to clear the with all the mortalityand createa Clubb, Schubot,and other avicul- books. To succeedat conservationor viablepopulation. He'll never get that turistshope that experiments such as business,these winners agree, set clear, many birds from the commercial thismacaw infusion will provethat dispassionateobjectives and achieve breeders." theycan be part of thesolution. The them.Get tangible results. Then set The flock size needed to establish MilitaryMacaws cost Schubot about newobjectives. AmericanBirds, Spring 1992 Theobjective ofthis particular pro- bonds with their still-incarcerated predators.They have also learned to lectwas to see Military Macaws flying matesand return most nights to roost bewary of people,Vannini reports. freeover Guatemala's western high- onthe "hacking pen." Althoughthey would not be sur- landsand to learn as much as possible All thefree and caged macaws have prisedto losesome birds, the Guate- in theprocess. Mission accomplished. been weaned from prepared food and malan conservationistsand their coun- Bymid-afternoon on Liberation areeadng seeds and fruits from the for- terpartsfrom Floridaare gaining Day,two of themacaws are near the est.In April,the six held birds will be optimismthat they have restored an holdingpen, staggering around on outfitted with radio transmitters and importantcomponent ofGuatemala's exhaustedwings. The alpha female is released.Richard Schubot'sAvicultural naturalpatrimony. Meanwhile, they still inside,gossiping with hermate Breedingand Research Center is send- havedeveloped a model that can be throughthe wire partition. Two birds ing threemore Military Macawsto adaptedby others who believe that the haveflown the coop and are missing. augmentthe flock. firstrule of intelligenttinkering is to Leavingone young biologist at the The cage-raisedThick-billed Par- saveall the pieces. site,the rest of thegroup sets out for rots releasedin Arizona have been dec- "Wecan now seriously look at re- GuatemalaCity. imatedby hawks, but the Guatemalan storing psittacines," Vannini says. Vannini turns off the main road to macawsseem to have an "innate flight "Thisputs the burdenback on the follow a dusty track throughthe responseto predators," Vannini says. zoosand private collectors, who have patchworkof agriculturethat domi- Althoughthere are a dozenspecies of beensaying that they can't donate birds natesthe highlands -- a multihued bigraptors in thearea, none of the to restoration efforts until this meth- andmany-textured combination of macaws have been lost. Vannini and odologyis developed. The method- cropsthat, from a distance,looks like the other biologistshave seen the ologyis there, and it's time for them a Mayanquilt. The Indianshave macawsreact with prudentalarm at to begincontributing birds to rein- farmedthis land this way for 2,000 thesight of bothavian and terristral troductionprograms." ß years.He stopsin thecourtyard of a village,San Andres Zecul, that is KeepP(4'M Birds P(4'ld carved into the mountainside. A canall help reduce the number of birds churchpainted van Gogh-sunflower- We havemacaws and other parrots in a double bind: we are destroying lostin thepet mill. Severalyears ago, yellowdominates the square, but the their habitat and robbing their the World Wildlife Fund formed a realworshipping occurs elsewhere. nestlingsfor pets. The pettrade is espe- "workinggroup" to discussthis prob- Vanniniand Jorge L6pez thread ciallytroublesome because of theinces- lem. The groupincluded conserva- theirway through the narrow cobbled santpoaching and the extremely high tionists,aviculturists, and representa- labyrinthof the village until they find percentageof birds that perish during tivesof zoos,humane organizations, a dark, 1ow-ceilingedhut with a capture,transit and quarantine.In andthe pet industry, who overcame flower- and candle-strewn stone altar addition, this deadly commerceis ancientanimosities to developlegisla- at oneend. After a whisperednegoti- unnecessary;most popular pet birds tion to address the issue. The result ation with the prayerman,Vannini canbe bredin captivity,eliminating wastwo billsintroduced in Congress buysa handfulof sky-bluecandles. theneed to bleedwild populations. lastyear. He andthe biologist carefully light The United States,with our insa- NationalAudubon Society supports the Exotic Bird Conservation Act, them on the altar. It's a traditional tiableappetite for exoticpets, imports about500,000 birdsevery year. This which would, amongother things, offeringto theMayan god who pre- is, of course,just the numberof sur- phaseout overfive years the importa- sidesover new endeavors and protects vivorsand does not includesmuggled tion of wild birdsby U.S. petdealers loved ones from harm. birds.Parrots are perennial favorites in and encouragecaptive breeding of thepet trade. North American pet deal- birdsto fulfill thelegitimate demand. Postscript:In March, four months ersimport 250,000 parrots a year,and This legislationhas been stalled in afterLiberation Day, the five repatri- another150,000 or soare smuggled Congressbecause conservationists and ated macawswere doing "almost across the Mexican border. humanegroups cannot agree on the exactlywhat we had hoped," accord- All but two of the 332 speciesof details.You could help by making your ingto Jay Vannini. The one unpaired parrotsare threatened or endangered, ownviews known to yourdected rep- bird"dispersed," Vannini says, using andabout 40 speciesare in direstraits resentatives. For more information, under the twin hammers of habitat loss an euphemismfor "tookoff."This contact:Jim Waltman, Wildlife Policy lonerhas been seen by localfarmers, andpersecution by thepet industry. Analyst,National Audubon Society, While conservationists work to 666 PennsylvaniaAvenue SE, Wash- however,and apparently is fine. The stemhabitat loss in thelong term, we ington,DC 20003. ß otherfour birds have maintained pair Volume 46, Number 1 ß•!1