In Captivity
For over 30 years, RSCF has been working with the endangered Red-browed Amazon parrot (Amazona rhodocorytha). This species is a top priority for long-term captive breeding and management, from which a sustainable in-situ recovery effort is evolving. RSCF holds the only known breeding group in North America. From a founding captive population of just 11 individuals, RSCF's colony of red-brows is now 78, including second and third generation offspring from parents raised in captivity. In 2015 a milestone was achieved with the first fully parent-reared offspring joining the captive colony, proving that the instinctual reproductive and parental behaviors necessary for successfully rearing and fledging offspring are retained in hand-reared adults. We thank Higgins Premium Pet Foods for their long-term support of this project.
Our program partners in Brazil have also achieved captive breeding success from a group of confiscated Red-brows held at the Curitiba Zoo. In conjunction with IBAMA/ICMBIO (the Brazilian government wildlife authority), RSCF and partnering NGOs (Zoo Curitiba, Ideia Ambiental, and Parque Das Aves) seek to repatriate confiscated in situ and captive-bred ex situ Red-brows, and transfer title for all ex situ Red-brows to the Brazilian government in recognition of Brazil's governing authority and progressive conservation and law enforcement efforts. RSCF aims to return a core population of Red-brows to Brazil as necessary to complement an existing breeding and rehabilitation program.
In the Field
Field surveys to establish wild population estimates and habitat assessments are ongoing. Estimates of the remaining wild population of Red-brows number between 600-1,700 individuals. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and conversion to agriculture as well as collection for the pet trade are directly attributed to the species decline in the wild. Current in situ conservation efforts include: Survey to locate additional populations. Protect forests where the species occurs outside reserves in Rio de Janeiro. Effectively protect habitat and birds within reserves and further develop the captive-breeding population. Enforce anti-trafficking laws, especially on the roads connecting Monte Pascoal National Park with the rest of south Brazil (Snyder et al. 2000). Map the species' current distribution within its Extent of Occurrence. Identify priority areas for conservation purposes. Research dietary and nesting requirements. Estimate the species home range. Study the impact of forest fragmentation within its population. Implement an education program. ( L. Klemann-Júnior in litt. 2012).
