Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) Recovery Plan Addendum Adenda al PACE: “Programa de Acción para la Conservación de las Especies: Cotorras Serranas (Rhynchopsitta spp.)” Photo by Jim Rorabaugh Including the English translation of the PACE, published by Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) 2009 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico June 2013 Approved: _________________________ Date: ____________________ Regional Director, Region 2, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Concurred: _________________________ Date: ____________________ Director, Arizona Game And Fish Department i DISCLAIMER The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires the development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular species. Recovery plans delineate such reasonable actions as may be necessary, based upon the best scientific and commercial data available, for the conservation and survival of listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, State agencies and others. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views, official positions, or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than USFWS. They represent the official position of the USFWS only after they have been signed by the Regional Director. Recovery plans are guidance and planning documents only; identification of an action to be implemented by any public or private party does not create a legal obligation beyond existing legal requirements. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in any one fiscal year in excess of appropriations made by Congress for that fiscal year in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new information, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. Please check for updates or revisions at the website below before using. LITERATURE CITATION SHOULD READ AS FOLLOWS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2013. Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) Recovery Plan Addendum. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region. Albuquerque, New Mexico. COPIES MAY BE OBTAINED FROM: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chief, Division of Endangered Species U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service P.O. Box 1306 Albuquerque, NM 87103 On line: http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/arizona ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The USFWS is grateful to Mexico’s National Commission of Protected Areas (CONANP) for the opportunity to adopt the Mexican recovery plan for the thick-billed parrot, as found in the “Programa de Acción para la Conservación de las Especies: Cotorras Serranas (Rhynchopsitta spp.)” (PACE). The USFWS gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following individuals in developing the draft addendum for the thick-billed parrot: Luz Francelia Torres-Gonzalez, Citlali Cortés-Montaño, Ernesto Enkerlin-Hoeflich, Tiberio Monterrubio-Rico, Elvia de la Cruz- Robles, Rocío Janet González-Hernández, Oscar Manuel Ramírez-Flores, Jesús Lizardo Cruz- Romo, Luis Fueyo-Mac Donald, Ruben Marroquin-Flores, Noel Snyder, Craig Wilcox, Nadine Lamberski, Susan Healy, Joe Barkowski, Sartor O. Williams III, Tim Wright, John Hubbard, Shaula Hedwall, Erin Fernandez Timbadia, Larry Jones, Melinda Fisher, Sara Dechter, Christopher Stetson, Candace Bogart, Bart Matthews, Jarl Moreland, Jack Triepke, Wayne Robbe, James Gilardi, Eva Sergent, Chris Biro, Taylor Jones, John Fitzgerald, and Brett Hartl. We are especially thankful for the assistance of Javier Cruz-Nieto and Miguel Angel Cruz-Nieto, who provided updated technical information, patiently answered our many questions on the current status in Mexico, and offered insight into recovery needs. The primary authors of this plan are: Edwin Juarez Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative Coordinator Nongame and Endangered Species Program Arizona Game and Fish Department Phoenix, AZ Susan Sferra Fish and Wildlife Biologist Arizona Ecological Services Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tucson, AZ Additional thanks go to the following for their technical assistance and review and editing of this document: Julie McIntyre, Wendy Brown, Francisco Abarca, Tabata Reyna, Jennifer Smith- Castro, and James Driscoll. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DISCLAIMER ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 1 Actions Needed ........................................................................................................................... 5 RESUMEN EJECUTIVO ............................................................................................................... 8 1.0. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................... 16 1.1. Brief Overview .................................................................................................................. 16 1.2. Description and Taxonomy ............................................................................................... 18 1.3. Distribution and Habitat Use ............................................................................................. 18 1.4. Critical Habitat .................................................................................................................. 22 1.5. Life History ....................................................................................................................... 22 1.6. Abundance and Trends ...................................................................................................... 26 1.7. Threats ............................................................................................................................... 26 1.8. Conservation Measures ..................................................................................................... 38 2.0. RECOVERY STRATEGY, GOAL, OBJECTIVES, CRITERIA ........................................ 47 2.1. Recovery Strategy and Goals ............................................................................................ 47 2.2. Recovery Criteria .............................................................................................................. 48 2.3. Actions Needed ................................................................................................................. 51 2.4. Threats Tracking Table (those with an asterisk do not appear in the PACE) ................... 53 3.0. RECOVERY PROGRAM .................................................................................................... 58 3.1. Outline of Recovery Actions ............................................................................................. 58 3.2. Narrative of Recovery Actions .......................................................................................... 63 3.3. Research Needs ................................................................................................................. 63 4.0. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE ..................................................................................... 64 4.1. Responsible Parties and Cost Estimates ............................................................................ 64 4.2. Recovery Action Priorities and Abbreviations.................................................................. 65 4.3. Implementation Schedule .................................................................................................. 67 5.0. LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................................... 62 APPENDIX A. Figures Cited in Text .......................................................................................... 73 APPENDIX B. Thick-billed Parrot Program of Action for the Conservation of the Species: (Rynchopsitta spp.). English translation. ..................................................................................... 71 I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 73 iv II. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 75 III. BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND THREATS ............................................................................ 78 Species Description ............................................................................................................... 78 Distribution ............................................................................................................................ 78 Main Threats ............................................................................................................................. 87 Habitat Destruction ................................................................................................................ 87 Illegal Trade ..........................................................................................................................