Reproduction in Dominican Amazon Parrots Implications for Conservation

Abstract

Abstract

Bi-parental care is described in one Red-necked Amazon (Amazona arausiaca) parrot nest and one Imperial Amazon (A. imperialist parrot nest from the Morne Diablotin area on Dominica. Both Red-necked and Imperial parents provided vigilant care from hatching to post-fledging. Male and female Red-necks fed chicks in the nest from dawn until dusk, unlike the Imperial parents, in which the male regurgitated only to the female, never entering the nest cavity unless the female was within. Large clutch size, strong bi-parental care, and range expansion into agricultural areas bear upon conservation strategies for Rednecked Amazons, and are discussed in light of population resilience following disturbance. In contrast, bi-parental care may be requisite to successful recruitment in the critically endangered Imperial Amazon, reproduction in which has yet to be fully described. Conservation of Dominica's endemic parrots prioritizes continued habitat protection via protected areas and a broader scope of in situ research.

Enigmatic by virtue of their rarity, the

endemic Amazon parrots of Dominica, the Red-necked (Amazona arausiaca) and Imperial (A. Impertalis, Dominica's national bird), known locally as the Jaco and Sisserou, respectively, have been of continuous ornithological and conservation interest since the mid- 1970's. The Jaco, a gregarious and vocal parrot, though threatened, is well distributed across Dominica's rain forests, particularly in areas adjacent to agriculture where it has been implicated in seasonal citrus crop destruction (Evans 1988, Durand and Zamore 1996). The shy and elusive Sisserou is highly endangered, since 1979 confined to mature rain forest between 600-1100 m elevation on the slopes of Mome Diablotin in Dominica's Northern Forest Reserve (Gregoire 1981; Collar et al. 1992). Accessing foraging and nesting areas in mountainous terrain and dense forest cover has proven historically difficult for researchers. Quantitative information about population sizes and life histories is scant, and ecological specu-

lation, much of it conflicting, surrounds both species (Collar et al. 1992). Ecological data on Jaco and Sisserou parrots derive primarily from field observations by researchers working with Dominica's Forestry Division (Durand and Zamore 1996). Jaco reproduction in natural nest cavities was documented only recently (Reillo et al. 1999), while Sisserou eggs and chicks remain undescribed.

Sisserou and Jaco parrots have become prominent flagship species for Dominica's imperiled oceanic rain forest ecosystems, recently inspiring the creation of the Marne Diablotin National Park, which complements the Marne Trois Pitons and Cabrits National Parks within Dominica's National Parks System (Reillo 2000). Marne Diablotin National Park encompasses vital parrot habitat, providing research opportunities in protected areas. As quantitative life history information is fundamental to developing effective parrot conservation strategies,

here we document reproduction in wild Jacos using time-lapse video surveillance, and discuss bi-parental care and recruitment. The first successful Sisserou reproduction to be observed since 1989 is also described.