Abstract
''What has been your most excitng expenence with parrots in the wild?" Often I am asked this question, but always I have much difficulty in giving a prompt. response. I have been most fortunate in having observed a number of rare and highly spectacular species in various parts of the worldwide range, and at the time of occurrence each encounter was exciting. With hindsight it is extremely difficult to make comparisons or to single out any particular experience, but certainly one . of the most memorable is a visit made to the Lesser Antilles in April 1980, when I observed in the wild all four of the magnificent Amazona parrots endemic to those islands. Being restricted to a single island makes each species vulnerable to extinction, so meeting with all four in their natural habitats was especially rewarding.
Undoubtedly the most attractive of the four species, and possibly the most distinctively plumaged of all amazons is the St. Vincent Amazon Amazona guildingii, so it was particularly gratifying that it was the first species to he encountered, and in the largest numbers. Approximately 30 noisy parrots were leaving roosting trees soon after sunrise as I climbed a narrow trail winding up a mountainside in the Buccament Valley, a well-known local stronghold of the species. The panoramic view was breathtaking, for the valley below was hidden under dense mist that crept higher up the tree-covered slopes, where rays of bright sunlight penetrated the forest canopy. Between mid stages of the slopes was open, sun-filled airspace through which the parrots flew while passing hack and forth above the gloomy mountainside. The brilliance of their plumage was highlighted by the sunlight, reminding me of stage performers under spotlights, and the loud, screeching calls further focussed attention on them. On the opposite slope a large tree appeared to be a favored roosting site, for a number of birds flew out from its spreading branches, some to cross above the valley, others to circle two or three times before returning to the same tree. Both 'yellow-brown' and 'green' birds were present, though the latter appeared to he more numerous.
With a total length of 40cm and weighing up to 700g, the St. Vincent Amazon is one of the larger Amazona species. It occurs as two major color morphs, usually referred to as 'yellow-brown' and 'green' morphs, hut the plumage coloration is quite variable within each and virtually no two birds are alike. A key feature of the distinctive plumage coloration is the creamywhite forecrown and cheeks, merging into orange and violet-blue on the neck; the body plumage is hronzehrown, with orange-yellow bases to the flight feathers, which are broadly edged with violet-blue and the tail is orange at the base with a wide central hand of dark violet-blue and broadly tipped orange-yellow.
The 'green' morph differs in having the upperparts predominantly dusky green, the bases of the flight feathers green, and the underwings green instead of bronze-brown and yellow. The hill is white, the iris orange and the legs pale grey. The sexes are alike and juveniles are duller versions of adults, there heing no transition from green juveniles to yellow-hrown adults as at times is claimed.
On St. Vincent, these parrots inhabit mainly humid forests in and at the periphery of the central mountains, particularly in ridge and valley areas at lower elevations where there are large trees suitable for nesting. At times they are seen in other habitats, including the margins of Pinus plantations and cultivated farmlands. During the 1970s, grave concerns were expressed about their future survival, and declining numbers were attributed to habitat loss, hunting, and capture for the livebird market. Intermittent hurricanes also are thought to have contributed to the declines, with Hurricane Allen in 1980 being especially destructive. The eruption of the Soufriere volcano in 1979 killed an unknown number of birds and destroyed significant tracts of forest. However, conservation initiatives undertaken during the past 20 years by government and non-government agencies seem to have reversed the decline, and surveys carried out in 1992 and 1994 indicate that there now is a stable population comprising approximately 800 birds. Public awareness campaigns also have been successful, leading to a formal declaration by the government naming the species as the National Bird of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
As almost 100 captive birds are held in collections, the St. Vincent Amazon probably is the most familiar of the four species. However, it remains one of the least studied in the wild, and little is known of its biology. Noisy and gregarious, these amazons usually are encountered in groups of up to 20 or more birds, but pairs stay together and are readily discernible when feeding in the treetops or flying overhead. I found them to be fairly confiding and, unless persistently...