Artificial nests help rare red-tailed Amazon parrot recover in Brazil's forests

Red-Tailed Amazon Parrot Makes Rare Comeback in Brazil’s Forests (Image: Mongabay)

Once near extinction, Brazil’s red-tailed Amazon parrot is soaring again—thanks to villagers who once saw it as a pest. Now, the bird draws eco-tourists and hope to coastal islands.

From Threat to Tourism

By the late 1990s, fewer than 5,000 red-tailed amazons remained. The parrot, native to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, depends on guanandi trees to survive. These trees were logged for their wood, destroying fruit and nesting sources. The forest itself has lost 88% of its original area. Poaching added pressure. Locals trapped the birds using glue, selling them or keeping them for food.

One hotspot for both hunting and conservation became Rasa Island in Paraná. The Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education (SPVS) saw it as an ideal breeding site. At first, islanders resisted. Fruit farmer Eriel “Nininho” Mendes even threatened to shoot conservationists. “I said that if they came here, I’d shoot,” he recalled.

Island Nests Bring New Life

SPVS built trust slowly, involving locals in the effort. With guanandi trees rare, artificial nests were installed high in the canopy. Locals helped make the wooden boxes. Fisherman Antonio da Luz dos Santos remembered doubts. “People said it wouldn’t work. “Then I saw a chick,” he said. That success turned doubters into supporters.

In 2003, SPVS placed 15 artificial nests before the breeding season. All were quickly occupied. Custom-built holes blocked predators like hawks, which were caught on camera trying and failing to break in. Over 100 nests now dot Rasa Island and nearby areas.

Conservation Pays Off

Nininho, once a critic, now plants trees to feed parrots. Tourists now visit his guesthouse, walk forest trails, and dig oysters. “Parrots are now a profit for me,” he said with a smile.

The red-tailed amazon was once listed as endangered. Today, it is classified as “near threatened” on the IUCN Red List. Its population has climbed to 9,000. According to Mongabay Brasil, it is the only Brazilian bird whose population is rising.

What began with doubt and conflict has become a rare story of renewal—one tree and one nest at a time.

(Inputs From Mongabay)