noted that many parrots were being Making lOur Money Matter taken for sale to tourists. Their report states, "One villager ... claimed to have caught 27 nes­ in Marketing the tlings during a two to three year period although 33% of them died Conservation Message before he was able to sell them." The report's authors also empha­ byPaul Butler Philadelphia, Pennsylvania size the adverse effects of deforesta­ tion stating, "agriculture extends to In the bird world, parrots are biotic diversity and, at that time, the periphery of all the forested unique. Their popularity stems from home to 27 species of macaws, par­ areas, with the exception of the their striking plumage, the ease with rots and parakeets. upper Richmond Valley and Morne which they can be tamed and their In the intervening half millennium, Garu Mountains and undoubtedly uncanny ability to mimic human 14 of the 27 psittacines believed to caused much habitat destruction in voices. be in existence at that time have the past." Yet it is not these features that become extinct. If man has been the cause of this make them unlike any other group of All seven species of macaws have species' problems, men are now the birds. Rather, it is the array of threats vanished, as have five ofeight species reason for its recent change in which they face. of parakeets and three of the twelve fortune - men like Senior Forestry No other group is threatened by species ofAmazon parrots. Supervisor Brian Johnson, and For­ such a multitude and complex inter­ Those that remain have small or estry Officers Lennox Quammie, relationship of pressures including declining populations or are threat­ Carlton Thomas and Fitzroy Springer. natural disasters, habitat destruction, ened with extinction. Perhaps the Through their dedicated efforts, hunting for food, feathers and the most beautiful of these is the Saint legislation has been enacted, reserves live bird trade; while at the same time Vincent Parrot, Amazona quildin­ established, successful captive breed­ being long-lived, and slow-breeding. quii. ing programs initiated, education Cracids are hunted for food and This species, with its kaleidoscope programs implemented and the under threat from habitat destruc­ of plumage colors, has probably birds' decline arrested. tion, yet are spared the enormous never been very abundant and Much of their success stemmed prices offered for their psittacine reports from as early as the turn of from changing public perceptions cousins. the century describe it as scarce. about this beautiful bird and its Raptors, such as the Peregrine Fal­ Clark (1905), in his paper "Birds of declaration as a national symbol. con, command huge sums from the the Southern Lesser Antilles," wrote, In marketing the conservation mes­ Arab world, yet are seldom if ever ,'This bird is now decidedly rare on sage, a small U.S. based conservation eaten; and the smaller passerines­ Saint Vincent where it is confined to organization played a catalytic role. trapped in their millions for trade ­ the highest wooded slopes in the Through providing technical and breed rapidly and few face imminent center of the island behind Barroual­ material assistance, RARE Center has extinction. lie. Some idea of its scarcity may be helped men like Brian to help their Around the world many psittacine had from the fact that during a walk endemic wildlife. Results from a pre­ species are in decline, nowhere more from Hermitage, in the Upper Cum­ project questionnaire, undertaken in so than in the small insular nations of berland Valley, south along the January 1989, indicated that while the Caribbean. central ridge of the island, only two the vast majority of Vincentians In October 1492, Christopher were met with, although it is in this knew the parrot to be their national Columbus "discovered" the West region that they are said to be most bird, few knew how rare it was, the Indies. Stretching some 1,500 miles common:' reasons for its decline or the levels of in a broad southeastern arc between In the early 1980s, Lambet et al esti­ legal protection afforded to it and its Florida and northern South America, mated the population of the Saint forest home. they comprise an archipelago rich in Vincent Parrot to be 421 ± 52 and This was soon to change and under Brian's direction and with RARE Cen­ ter's assistance, parrot fever soon swept the island. Posters, billboards, badges and bumper stickers could be Today, over 1,000 of the seen everywhere. Vincie's song, a world's bird species are threatened parrot conservation tune, was taught with extinction. The International to 18,000 children and visits made to Council for Bird Preservation is every primary and secondary school. acting to reverse this global Churches rallied to the cause giving catastrophe and needs your environmental sermons and musi­ support now. cians lent their support writing catchy calypsos that were aired on To join, please send a check for $35 (US) to: ICBP World Bird Club the radio and made into music c/oWWF-US Twenty-Fourth Street NW videos. Washington DC 20037 U.s.A. Vincie became such an important cause on Saint Vincent that local busi­ nesses soon got involved, financing 44 August / September 1991 many key aspects of the campaign. the Saint Lucia Parrot, Amazona ver­ people like Brian protect their Most important was the long term sicolor. unique species ofwildlife in the wild. funding the St. Vincent Brewery Word of RARE Center's work is For more information on RARE awarded to "Vincie's Nature Notes," spreading and governments across Center and its Caribbean Education a monthly environmental newsletter the Caribbean are asking it for help. Campaign write: RARE Center for that is distributed free to schools The organization would like to help Tropical Bird Conservation, 1529 across the nation. them all but only readers like you can Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA All captive parrots were registered make this a reality. The AFA has aided 19102. and banded and an aviary complex, RARE Center in the past, financing funded by Jersey Wildlife Preserva­ the badges that played a key role in The author, Paul Buller, served ten years as Conservation Advisor to Saint Lucia's Fores­ tion Trust, Wildlife Preservation Saint Vincent and which were used in try Department. Today, he works for RARE Trust International and Los Palmitos, schools across the island. Hopefully Centerfor Tropical Bird Conservation, a u.s. was constructed. this is but a first example of where non-profil, tax exempt organizalion, provid­ Within months of the nest boxes concerned aviculturists and conser­ in.g conservation assistance to the islands of the Caribbean • being erected, Saint Vincent re­ vationists join together to help local corded its first successful breeding. Under the watchful eyes of Lennox Quammie, four birds have fledged, an event that augers well for the future and one which complements the Division's efforts to protect the wild stock. More than 13% of the country has now been set aside as a parrot reserve and strengthened resolve to protect this unique symbol of Vin­ centian pride has resulted in the rigid Quality cage products enforcement of laws, the ratification ... will enhance the breeding potential of your birds of CITES and a halt in the decline of its wild parrots. Saint Vincent con­ tinues to make further strides in edu­ 1/2" x 3" Mesh 12 gao cating its people about the wider suitable for environment and in protecting its everyth ing from rich and unique natural heritage. Finch to Macaws. RARE Center has gone on to assist 1" x 3" Mesh 10 gao Dominica's Forestry Department and suitable for larger Amazons, their endemic Amazon, the magnifi­ Macaws and Cockatoos. cent Sisserou or Imperial Parrot (Amazona imperialis). Puppet shows, song, sermons, music videos, California Breeder bumper stickers, billboards, posters • Most versatile cage on the market today and badges again played their part and 80% of that nation's children • Used by many well-known breeders and bird farms rallied to the cause pledging financial and moral support to the securing of IO~ 200 acres of forest land deemed criti­ Spring latch cal for the survival of the Sisserou. Wire latch This year RARE is providing assis­ tance to the Cayman Islands and the Metal Nest Boxes 1" x 1" sprin~ Square Tube IOa~ed~ Bahamas and to their three sub­ Roll Wire species ofAmazona leucocephala. clip pliers Custom AviaryDesign In April 1991, RARE Center's inno­ Doors vative work saw the donation of an Single Units • Breeding Complexes environmental bus to the govern­ Wind Panels· Roof Structures ment and people of Saint Lucia. Call or write for more information. Funded jointly with the UK-based 9" x 9" and 12" x 12" World Parrot Trust, this interpretive Feed Doors 1 (818) 843-MATE center on wheels will travel wher­ with inside ever there is a road. Flamboyantly Feed Trays HOURS: also available Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. painted and squawking like a parrot, . Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. it will be sure to attract attention. '- I. ,.~ 3314 Burton Ave., Burbank, CA 91504 Cages Among the many displays included in ~ the bus will be interactive models [ VISA NATIONWIDE SHIPPING. depicting the ravages of deforesta­ I tion, and the plight and conservation Quality cage products atprices that don't bite! needs of that island's national bird, afa WATCHBlRD 45.