Red-necked Parrot (Amazona arausiaca)

The island of Dominica in the Caribbean is home to an exceptionally rare and beautiful parrot – the red-necked amazon. With its vibrant green plumage accented by bright red, blue, and yellow, this tropical bird has an unmistakable appearance. Though small, averaging only 15-16 inches (40 cm) long and 1.2-1.4 pounds (550-650 g) in weight, it possesses outsized importance as Dominica’s national bird and a critically endangered species.

You may have never heard of the red-necked amazon before. But as an endemic species found nowhere else on Earth, its fate directly connects to the health of Dominica’s rainforests. Tucked into the island’s rugged interior terrain, these forests still harbor exceptional biodiversity. However, extensive habitat loss places both the plants and wildlife, like the amazon, at risk.

“Its range shrinks every year as agriculture and development titters on the edge of the forest.”

From less than 150 birds in the 1980s, dedicated recovery efforts brought the wild population to a more stable 800-1,200 adults as of the latest estimate. But with its specialized habitat disappearing and multiple threats impacting such a tiny population, experts consider the parrot’s future insecure. Much work remains to preserve Dominica’s natural heritage, embodied by this single vivid species – the red-necked amazon.

History and Taxonomy

The red-necked amazon entered the scientific literature in 1789 when French naturalist Jean Baptiste du Tertre provided the first written description and assigned the name Psittacus arausiacus. In the centuries since, experts have reclassified the species under the genus Amazona as Amazona arausiaca.

The genus name Amazona encompasses all 30+ species of Central and South American parrots known as amazons. The species name arausiaca refers to the orange-red patch of feathers this parrot displays on its neck and throat. Scientists have not recognized any distinct subspecies.

A related form, however, may have once existed on the nearby island of Martinique. Known only from a few old accounts, the Martinique amazon (Amazona martinicana) apparently resembled the red-necked but with key differences. If this was truly a separate species, it likely went extinct sometime in the 19th or early 20th century from habitat destruction and over-hunting.

The red-necked amazon itself just barely escaped a similar fate more recently. By the 1980s, its population dwindled to an estimated 150 or fewer birds. That it recovered to over 800 today comes from dedicated conservation initiatives to protect both the species and the rainforests it inhabits.

Physical Appearance

The red-necked amazon is a medium-sized parrot, measuring approximately 15-16 inches (40 cm) long from the tip of its tail to the end of its bill. It weighs an average of 1.2-1.4 pounds (550-650 grams) as an adult.

True to its name, this amazon sports a brightly colored red or reddish-orange patch of feathers on its throat and upper neck. It also displays light blue feathers on the forehead, around the eyes, and crown that often fade to gray on the hindneck and upper breast.

The majority of its plumage presents as green, ranging from deep bottle green on the back and wings to brighter shades on the belly and undertail. Yellow feathers emerge near the bend of the wings and run in a wide band down the tail.

The stout bill and feet are both gray, while the eyes are framed by a pale eye ring and colored bright orange. Juveniles start out much duller in appearance with little to no red throat patch and brown irises instead of the orange eyes.

No recognized subspecies exist currently. But one related form, the hypothetical Martinique amazon, was described as near identical except with a purple-tinged blue mask and more extensive throat patch.

Habitat and Distribution

The red-necked amazon is endemic to the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. It occupies the island’s interior mountain rainforests, residing primarily in elevations between 1,000-2,600 feet (300-800 meters).

This species once ranged more widely even to coastal regions. However, habitat loss from agriculture and development has increasingly restricted it to the higher terrain. Its stronghold locations center around the Northern, Central, and Morne Trois Pitons National Park forest reserves.

While no introduced populations have successfully established elsewhere, a closely related extinct species, the Martinique amazon, was described from the nearby island of Martinique. It possibly persisted there up until the 19th or early 20th centuries before disappearing.

Within its native Dominica, the parrot still occurs locally across the island within its mountain forest habitat and adjoining agricultural zones. But experts have not recorded members of this species inhabiting any other land masses or territories. Its limited endemic range renders conservation of remaining habitat in Dominica all the more urgent.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the red-necked amazon consists primarily of fruits, seeds, and vegetable matter foraged from forest trees and plants. Important food sources include fruit from native trees like Dacryodes, Licania, Symphonia, and palms.

Birds also regularly supplement their diet with cultivated oranges, grapefruit, guava and other citrus crops. Additional feeding on buds, sprouts, leaves, and flowers likely provides essential protein.

Observations indicate peak foraging activity in early morning and late afternoon hours. The parrots employ their curved bills and dexterous tongues to extract seeds and manipulate various fruits and vegetation. Strong claws facilitate grasping and maneuvering while the birds climb through branches.

Documented food items span a variety of native Dominican rainforest trees:

• Dacryodes excelsa
• Licania ternatensis
• Richeria grandis
• Amanoa caribaea
• Simarouba amara
• Symphonia globulifera
• Cordia sulcata
• Pithecellobium unguis-cati
• Byrsonima spicata
• Anacardium occidentale

This wide diversity of food plants helps support red-necked amazon populations across various forested tracts of their limited island habitat. But it also means degradation of those habitats directly threatens their continued access to adequate nutrition year-round.

Breeding and Reproduction

The red-necked amazon nests in naturally occurring tree cavities, where pairs display strong site fidelity and return to the same hollows year after year. Most breeding activity takes place between January and March. The birds may lay clutches of two to three white eggs which then incubate for 26-28 days.

Chicks usually fledge at around 10-11 weeks old between the months of May through early July. However, mature dawn redwood trees and forests do not propagate well southwest of the Cascade mountain range, limiting opportunities for successful propagation.

The parents share brooding and feeding responsibilities to successfully raise their altricial young. Pairs tend to show lifelong bonds to one another. They vigorously defend their chosen nest hollow and surrounding territory against intrusions from competitors during breeding season.

Securing adequate old growth forest with sufficient natural nesting sites remains an important factor for sustaining recruitment in this amazon species. Competition for cavities also comes from introduced honey bees and other opportunistic avian nesters occupying the habitat alongside them.

Behavior and Ecology

The red-necked amazon exhibits highly social behaviors, often gathering in flocks of 30 or more individuals when not breeding. But pairs become extremely territorial during the nesting period and will defend areas around potential tree hollow sites.

Roosting occurs at traditional communal sites located across their mountain rainforest habitat. Different groups appear to utilize certain preferred roost locations from year to year. Pre-roost gatherings often coincide with peak vocal activity.

For most of the day, however, this species remains relatively quiet and difficult to detect as they forage through the tree canopies. Their green coloration provides excellent camouflage within the dense tropical foliage.

Most activity peaks in the early morning and late afternoon hours. The birds use their curved bills to manipulate and husk fruits and seeds from the diet of rainforest trees and plants. Strong feet and claws allow them to navigate vertical and horizontal branches and trunks with ease.

This species interacts with other Dominican endemics within its native ecosystem, including the Imperial Amazon (Amazona imperialis) and the smaller Jaco or Jaco parrot (Psittacara guianensis). Competitors and introduced nest predators further pressure populations in modified habitat with fewer suitable resources.

Conservation Status

The IUCN Red List categorizes the red-necked amazon as Vulnerable based on its limited endemic range and small population size. Experts estimate the total wild population at between 1,200-1,500 mature individuals as of the latest surveys.

Major threats include:

• Habitat loss from agriculture and logging
• Direct damage from hurricanes
• Hunting and poaching for the pet trade
• Competition and nest predation from invasive species

In the 1980s, its population declined dangerously low to an approximate 150 birds. Targeted recovery initiatives since helped the species rebound. But its specialized habitat requirements and tiny global population render it vulnerable to extinction.

Conservation actions needed to ensure the future of Dominica’s national bird include:

• Protection and management of remaining old growth rainforest habitat
• Expanded protected areas to preserve intact ecosystems
• Ecotourism initiatives so locals value forests and endemic wildlife
• Law enforcement to curb illegal poaching and wildlife trafficking
• Continuous monitoring of wild populations and threats

With its brilliant colors and important role in native plant propagation, losing the red-necked amazon would represent far more than just another statistic. Instead it would signal the irreplaceable loss of Dominica’s natural heritage.

Cultural Significance

The red-necked amazon holds special meaning for Dominicans as one of their unique endemic species. Its green, blue, yellow and red colors appear prominently on the national flag and coat of arms. This species also graces the island’s postal stamps and currency as symbols of national pride.

Many of the Caribs and Arawaks that originally inhabited Dominica before European colonization likely revered the parrot as well. Surviving native groups today see value in preserving local wildlife. But some communities still illegally hunt amazons as an accessible source of protein.

While most Dominicans rightfully take pride in this rare parrot, lack of adequate legal protection and enforcement continues to jeopardize its limited populations through poaching. Its cultural status demands greater responsibility by both governmental agencies and average citizens to prioritize urgent conservation.

If the red-necked amazon disappears in the coming decades, Dominica stands to lose more than an alluring bird. Its extinction would rob future generations of their national heritage and undermine the exceptional biodiversity that still clings to the island’s mountain rainforests despite extensive pressures.

Conclusion

The brilliant red-necked amazon remains an icon of Dominica’s ecological richness as well as its alarming fragility in the face of modern threats. Habitat destruction, climate change impacts, overexploitation and competition from invasive species continue to pressure this rare endemic bird.

From a population crash to just 150 individuals in the 1980s, the parrot has rebounded to an approximate stable range of 800 to 1,500 adults today. This still ranks as an extremely limited number for an entire species, leaving them vulnerable to extinction. But it also shows that directed conservation efforts can produce meaningful results.

Dominica retains some of the most pristine rainforest ecosystems in the Caribbean within its rugged highlands. Protecting sufficient habitat continues to provide the greatest chance for the long term preservation of the amazon along with dozens of other plants and animals facing similarly dire outlooks.

While ecotourism and outreach campaigns highlight the value of endemic species, considerable challenges remain. Sustained financial investment and policy changes are still needed to fully safeguard the islands irreplaceable natural heritage from impending threats.

The fate of the vibrant red-necked amazon now lies primarily in human hands. Only a concerted campaign to elevate conservation priorities can ensure this exceptionally rare species survives to enliven Dominica’s forests for future generations. The coming decades will determine whether it persists as a poignant symbol of the islands uniqueness or serves as another stark cautionary tale of extinction.