Grey Starus!

[Jayd]

I feel this warrants our attention:

 

2010 IUCN Red List Category (as evaluated by BirdLife International - the official Red List Authority for birds for IUCN): Near Threatened

 

 

Justification This species is listed as Near Threatened because a recent analysis suggests that up to 21% of the global population may be harvested annually. In combination with the rate of ongoing habitat loss, the species is therefore suspected to be declining moderately rapidly.

 

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1496

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Grey_Parrot

Status and conservation

 

Timneh African Grey Parrot (wings clipped)

 

 

Rarer than previously believed, it is uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Near Threatened in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[3] A recent analysis suggests that up to 21% of the global population may be taken from the wild annually,[3] primarily for the pet trade.

The species is endemic to primary and secondary rainforest of West and Central Africa.[4] Grey parrots depend on large old trees for the natural hollows they use for nesting. Studies in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau have found that the preferred species of nesting trees are also preferred timber species.[5] There is a positive relationship between the status of the species and the status of primary forest:[6] where the forests are declining, so too are populations of Grey parrots.[5]

Congo African Grey Parrot in a bird park

 

 

The African Grey Parrot is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This requires both that exports be accompanied by a permit issued by a national authority and that a finding has been made that the export is non-detrimental to the species in the wild. With exports totaling more than 350,000 specimens from 1994–2003,[7] the grey parrot is one of the most heavily-traded CITES-listed bird species. In response to continuing population declines, exceeded quotas and unsustainable and illegal trade, including among range states, CITES included the grey parrot in Phase VI of the CITES Review of Significant Trade in 2004. This review has resulted in recommended zero export quotas for several range states and a CITES Decision to develop regional management plans for the species.

In the United States, importation of wild-caught Grey parrots is prohibited under the U.S. Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992. In the European Union, an EU Directive of 2007 prevents importation of this and any other "wild-caught" bird for the pet trade.

 

 

Jayd