Home › Aves › Psittacidae › Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha)
SPECIES PROFILE
Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha)
Rhynchopsitta
IUCN STATUS
Endangered
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua south to Jalisco; historically ranged into Arizona and New Mexico
DIET
Herbivore
HABITAT
Mature pine-oak forest of the Sierra Madre Occidental at 1,500–3,000 m elevation; requires large old-growth pines with cavities for nesting
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Psittaciformes
FAMILY
Psittacidae
GENUS
Rhynchopsitta
📋 Description
SIZE
38 cm; 300 g
COLORATION
Brilliant green with a red forehead, shoulders, and thighs; large dark bill for cracking pine cones; red eye ring; yellow underwing stripe in flight
ADAPTATIONS
Massive bill specialised for extracting pine seeds from closed cones; nomadic flocking behaviour follows mast crops; loud screeching call audible from afar
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Mature pine-oak forest of the Sierra Madre Occidental at 1,500–3,000 m elevation; requires large old-growth pines with cavities for nesting
DIET
Herbivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico from Sonora and Chihuahua south to Jalisco; historically ranged into Arizona and New Mexico
REPRODUCTION
Nests in cavities of old-growth pine trees; lays 2–4 eggs; colonial nester with dozens of pairs at a single site; one brood per year
DIET DETAILS
Pine seeds extracted from cones are the dietary staple; also acorns, berries, and insects
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Logging of old-growth pine forest; nest tree loss; illegal capture for the pet trade; historical extirpation from the US
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The Thick-billed Parrot is the only remaining wild parrot native to the United States (historically) and Canada; it was extirpated from Arizona and New Mexico by the 1930s due to shooting and trapping.
2
Thick-billed Parrots play an essential ecological role as seed dispersers in Sierra Madre pine forests — they drop or bury millions of pine seeds each year, many of which germinate.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Madera region of Chihuahua in the Sierra Madre Occidental is the most accessible location to search for Thick-billed Parrot flocks
Yécora in the Sierra Madre of Sonora is a birding hotspot where Thick-billed Parrots pass through in winter
Basaseachic Falls National Park in Chihuahua has old-growth pine forest used by Thick-billed Parrots
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Autumn and winter. Flocks follow pine cone crops through the Sierra Madre Occidental; Madrean sky islands of Sonora and Chihuahua are key sites.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
October to March as flocks move through pine forests of the Sierra Madre; Madera in Chihuahua and Yécora in Sonora are accessible entry points.
