1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UTRGV professor receives grant to enhance
habitat of Red-crowned Amazon Parrot
By Selena Olivia Lemus
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS –MAY 27, 2016 – Its distinctive call – heeeyo, cra-cra-cra! – is
heard throughout the Rio Grande Valley, and its body feathers are a vibrant flash of
emerald green against the blue sky. What really helps the Red-crowned Parrot (Amazona
viridigenalis) stand apart from other parrots, though, is a unique swatch of bright red right above
its beak.
Prized for their beauty, this species has been prey to the pet trade and poachers for decades,
which has led to their global endangerment.
To help assess the parrot’s status, Dr. Karl Berg, Assistant Professor of Biology at The
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, has received a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department (TPWD) to further study the Red-crowned Parrot population in Brownsville.
“Enhancing Habitat for Endangered Red-crowned Parrots in Texas” is a two-year, $29,997
grant that will allow Berg, in conjunction with project coordinator Cliff Shackelford from
TPWD, to enhance the parrot’s local breeding habitat. Proceeds from TPW’s Keep Texas Wild
Conservation License Plate sales fund this and similar projects.
The Red-crowned Parrot relies heavily on large trees, especially hollowed palm trees to nest and
raise their offspring. However, nesting for them has become harder over the years as our cities
continue to grow. With urban intensification, formerly underdeveloped areas that used to be their
homes are no longer available to them.
“The Red-crowned Parrot depends on nature itself to provide them with homes. It is hard for
them to reproduce in urban communities, where dead palm trees that could serve as a natural nest
cavities for them often are removed,” Berg said.
Berg’s project will install artificial nest cavities adjacent to known breeding sites that would
facilitate the parrot’s ability to reproduce.

2. The Brownsville Red-crowned Amazon population currently is substantial, but threats to its
numbers continue.
“About 200 parrots have been spotted in the Brownsville area,” Berg said. “However, this
number fluctuates. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that
there could be as few as a 1000 individuals left in the wild. With such low numbers, this species
could possibly go extinct in the near future, and we’re trying to prevent that.”
The Red-crowned Amazon is among one of the most threatened birds in the world, and experts
speculate that the Valley currently hosts a healthy population because the birds traveled north,
fleeing from heavy pilfering, unregulated pet trade and growing habitat destruction in their native
habitats south of the border.
The Valley’s World Birding Center reports a significant increase in the population of the Red-
crowned Parrot in Brownsville, San Benito, Weslaco, Harlingen and McAllen. Center officials
say the Valley’s habitat and climate are comparable to the parrot’s native environment, which
allows them to breed productively.
Unfortunately, illicit pet traffickers have noticed the proliferation of parrots, particularly at
Brownsville’s Oliveira Park, and have taken advantage of it. Birdwatchers and park visitors
hoping to spot a Red-crowned Parrot along the surrounding powerlines have seen poachers
trying to capture them.
In response, the City of Brownsville named the Red-crowned Parrot its official bird and passed
an ordinance protecting the species.
“They are beautiful, intelligent birds that attract many people – including pet traffickers,” Berg
said. “We have to find ways to keep them safe.”
In addition to habitat improvements, the grant also will fund research and a public education
campaign aimed at reducing nest and roost poaching, and increasing consciousness about the
species’ unique biology and uncertain future.
CUTLINES
PHOTO 1
Dr. Karl Berg, assistant professor and project coordinator in the UTRGV Department of Biology,
has secured a grant to further research on the endangered Red-crowned Parrot population in the
Brownsville area. (UTRGV Photo by Veronica Gaona)
PHOTO 2
The Red-crowned Amazon (Amazona viridigenalis) stand apart from other parrots for the bright

3. red right swatch above its beak. (UTRGV Photo by Dr. Karl Berg)
PHOTO 3
UTRGV Professor Dr. Karl Berg has a grant to further research the endangered Red-crowned
Parrot that, in part, will allow him to install artificial nest cavities like this one near known
breeding sites and facilitate the parrot’s ability to reproduce. (UTRGV Photo by Veronica
Gaona)
PHOTO 4
The Red-crowned Parrot population across the Rio Grande Valley often can be seen flying from
treetop to treetop, or perched temporarily on powerlines in a parrot party like this one. (UTRGV
Photo by Veronica Gaona)
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