Animals in Danger of Extinction: The Puerto Rican Parrot

The animal that is in danger of extinction that I am going to mention, is the Puerto Rican parrot. It is a bright green bird with a red band on its forehead, a white ring around the eye and blue primary feathers. The female of the male cannot be clearly distinguished, since they are quite similar. The parrot is a large bird, measuring approximately twelve inches. The dramatic reduction in the number of parrots by the end of the 19th century was mainly due to deforestation for agriculture, which eliminated extensive areas of mature forest. Among the causes of the dramatic reduction include the destruction of habitat, illegal hunting and competition for cavities with species such as the brown thrush. Hurricane Hugo had a significant impact on the population, reducing its wild population from 47 individuals to 22 individuals. The Puerto Rican parrot was designated as an endangered species in 1967.

One of the ways to help with the recovery is to build artificial cavities for both the Puerto Rican Parrot and the observation of nests to avoid predation and to ensure the normal development of eggs and chicks. Another way to help is by giving talks to schools and throughout the island about how you can help with this cause. like all of them is also the economic help, which would help to do more studies and more. We Puerto Ricans have several species in danger of extinction that need our help, as well as the one I have been mentioning.