Biologists Want To Reintroduce Parrot Not Seen In Arizona In 90 Years

Wildlife researchers are working to make the Arizonan sky a little more colorful by looking into how to reintroduce a parrot once native to the area.

Arizona Game and Fish is working with their Mexican counterparts to increase the population of thick-billed parrots so that they may one day migrate back to Arizona. The bright green parrots haven't been seen in Arizona since the 1930s because of illegal hunting.

These parrots usually mate with the same bird for life and tend to return to the same nests after migrating. The birds still live in northern Mexico.

Biologist Edwin Juarez told 12 News that the parrots returning to Arizona may also benefit other native species.

“It benefits other birds that are migratory, that we have in Arizona in our forest that spends the winters or migrates to those sierras in Mexico. We’re really benefiting multiple species besides just the parrots," said Juarez.

From 1986 to 1993, scientists released thick-billed parrots into the wild in southeastern Arizona, but that attempt ended poorly. Biologists didn't know how many of the 88 birds released ultimately survived, but most died from starvation, disease, or were eaten by predators.

Photo: stannate / Flickr