Project Staff: P. Vogel
Postgraduate Student: H. Davis
 |
As the only island of the Greater Antilles, Jamaica possesses two species of endemic Amazon parrots: the Yellow-billed Parrot (Amazona collaria) and Black-billed Parrot (Amazona agilis). Conservation concerns have been raised for both species. |
The Jamaica Parrot Project (JPP) was established in 1995 as the first-ever systematic study of Jamaica’s unique Amazon parrots – the Yellow-billed Parrot (Amazona collaria) and the Black-billed Parrot (A. agilis). The overall goal is to promote the conservation of Jamaica’s parrots, which are found nowhere else in the world, and their critical habitat. Collaborative research between Jamaican and United States researchers will provide high quality biological information to government agencies and policy makers to ensure the development of effective management plans.
The West Indies once had the highest concentration of native parrots, macaws, and parakeets in the world. Poignantly, it has suffered the highest number of extinctions. The region’s surviving species are among the most threatened and endangered of all parrots. Habitat loss and degradation have been identified as the two most important causes of their historic decline in the West Indies and this trend continues. Native forest is critical for Jamaica’s parrots, which nest in tree hollows and depend on the forest for food and shelter from adverse weather. The remaining forests of Jamaica, which have been reduced from 100% to less than 10% of island coverage, have become the parrots’ refuge but also have resulted in them living in small, isolated populations that are more easily threatened.
The JPP is addressing these issues by studying the distribution and ecology of both parrot species. Much of the work is conducted in the Cockpit Country, the stronghold of the Black-billed Parrot and the only region where both occur together in significant numbers. Initial research focused on the breeding biology of both species mainly along the periphery of the Cockpit Country, and many nests were monitored during three breeding seasons from 1996 to 1998. As a next step, a large-scale population assessment is being carried out; the results will provide an estimate of the total number of breeding pairs of both species across the entire Cockpit Country.
The JPP is a collaboration among BirdLife Jamaica, the University of the West Indies, and Yale University. Major financial support is received from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica and Wildlife Preservation Trust International.
Back to Past Projects