VARIATION IN POPULATION SIZE OF THE ENDANGERED VINACEOUS-BREASTED PARROT, AMAZONA VINACEA, IN A COMMUNAL ROOST IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

Abstract

The Endangered Vinaceous-breasted Parrot, Amazona vinacea, is endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Habitat fragmentation and nest poaching have had a substantial impact on the conservation of the species. These anthropogenic factors, combined with uncertainty regarding the species’ ecology, distribution and population size, make it difficult to plan management actions. This study aimed to monitor the population size of the Vinaceous-breasted Parrot in a communal roost in southern Brazil to identify monthly and annual variation. The study also aimed to characterize the vegetation of different sites used to roost. Roost counts were performed at dawn or dusk with two observers located around the roost area. Each observer recorded the number, time and flight direction of parrots arriving or departing the roost. The highest number of individuals recorded in the roost was 184 during the non-breeding period. The months with the highest means were March, January and May, while those with the lowest were October, November and September. The number of individuals in the roost varied throughout the year, possibly due to food availability at the site. The sites frequently used as roosts were characterized by having high anthropogenic influence and the absence of an understory. The creation, maintenance and expansion of protected areas to provide food resources and nesting sites, as well as the maintenance of forest fragments in private properties, are essential for the conservation of this parrot.