EnglishWhy These Parrots Are Popular Pets
The yellow-naped amazon parrot is a highly popular pet in Central American households and elsewhere. In addition to being colorful, it is at least as intelligent as the average toddler and is naturally social, curious, and playful as well. These birds have long lifespans and are skilled at mimicking human speech. Outside of their adolescent period, they’re also less likely to bite, which adds to their popularity as human companions.
Why They Should Stay in the Wild
Although it’s illegal to take a yellow-naped amazon out of the wild, the unlikely chance of being prosecuted allows poachers to do so on such a large scale that parrot numbers have decreased by at least half in the past decade. Considered a species of least concern for conservation purposes as of 2004, these wild parrots were declared threatened in 2012. Between 2017 and 2021 alone, the species plummeted from a status of endangered to critically endangered.
Poachers raid the nests of yellow-naped amazons to sell chicks and eggs into the illegal parrot pet trade, but as many as 75% of them die in transit. Damage caused to the trees during capture can additionally make nesting sites unusable for future clutches.
The yellow-naped amazons who do manage to survive capture, transit, and the pet trade face an uncertain quality of life and are unable to carry out important roles in their native ecosystems. They spend the rest of their lives in household cages, without the ability to bond with a mate for life or socialize in large groups, as they would normally do in the wild. Pet parrots cannot contribute to increasing their numbers as a species, nor can they function as the seed distributors that help many Mexican and Central American plant species survive.
Help Save Yellow-Naped Amazon Parrots with Paso Pacífico
An excellent way to help save endangered species like yellow-naped amazon parrots is to support conservation organizations. Paso Pacífico is accomplishing important steps in protecting these beautiful and intelligent birds.
At Paso Pacífico, our mission is to create wildlife corridors that safeguard biodiversity while connecting people to their land and ocean. Our goal is to restore and conserve Mesoamerica’s Pacific Slope ecosystems. The threatened mangrove wetlands, dry tropical forests, and eastern Pacific coral reefs are among these ecosystems.
All conservation programs at Paso Pacífico benefit directly from your donations. These include education programs that teach children the principles of biology, ecology, and environmental citizenship. Contact us today!
