Overview
Thick-billed Parrot: Large green parrot, dark thick bill, orange bare-skinned eye-ring, red forehead, shoulders, thighs. In flight shows striking black tail and flight feathers, with bright green, yellow, and red patches on wing coverts. Gray feet, legs. Swift direct flight with shallow wing beats.
Range and Habitat
Thick-billed Parrot: Resident in the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico. Formerly ranged as far north as southern Arizona; attempts to reestablish these populations have not been successful. Inhabits mature pine and conifer forests on slopes and mountains, but populations are declining due to deforestation.
Topo Map:
Perching-like Body
Listen to Call
Voice Text
"craa-aak"
Interesting Facts
Along with the extinct Carolina Parakeet, the Thick-billed Parrot is one of the only two parrot species whose former range included the United States. They were extirpated from the U.S. by about 1920 due to hunting.
They have been considered endangered since the late 1970's because of habitat loss and severe population reductions. However they are well-established in captive breeding programs in many zoos across the world.
A sentinel is usually posted to scan the skies for raptors while the flock feeds.
A group of parrots has many collective nouns, including a "company", "pandemonium", "prattle", and "psittacosis" of parrots.
Bird Term Glossary
Author
Gary Owen Dick
Artist
Dwight Kirkland
.