Monitoring of Blue-fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) in the Pantanal Sul, Brazil: 20 years of ecological studies

The Blue-fronted parrot (Amazona aestiva) stands out among species of parrots because it presents great ecological plasticity, occupies different biomes of South America (Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina) and is much appreciated as a pet. In Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), more than 9.000 individuals have been taken out of the wild to supply parrot’s traffic since 1988. This great threat has led to the establishment of the “Blue-fronted Parrot Project”, which has generated ecological information that contributes to conservation of the species since 1997. Research actions are carried out; conservation education; mapping traffic and fomenting public policies, with the MS (Pantanal, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest) as the core area. In the 20 years of project, many results were achieved, with emphasis on the breeding monitoring of the species, in 450 cavities in 25 tree species of 16 families, resulting in 638 active nests, 1,148 eggs, 625 hatched and 428 youngsters that fledged. Monitoring the fluctuation of populations throughout the year has indicated numbers between 76 to 3,156 parrots / month in the roostings sites. Diet study showed the consumption of mostly dried seeds of 48 plant species. Conservation education activities, with the motto «A happy parrot does not talk, it flies», include puppet theater, lectures and mini-courses that have already reached directly more than 15.000 people. All of the information is widely disseminated and have significantly contributed to more effective action against parrot trafficking and habitat loss, as well as alerting society.