The Nature Report: Backyard Parrots

Yellow headed amazon (Amazona oratrix) in Stuttgart, GermanySometimes you just don’t have to go any farther than your own backyard to enjoy some of the most beautiful birds the Rio Grande Valley has to offer.
 
I’ve got an old wooden feeder in my backyard that has been around for years, and lately the weathered platform has become a popular gathering spot for a variety of colorful parrots.
 
The yellow-headed parrots were the first to show up last year, and since then a stunning pair of red-lored parrots have also been visiting. 

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Illegal Mexican Parrot Trade Targeted by New Ban

A newly announced ban on all parrot sales in Mexico may keep the country's rare exotic birds (above, military macaws in Sierra de Tamaulipas, Mexico) from dying during clandestine smuggling operations, conservationists say. Photograph by George Grall/NGS

A new permanent ban on parrot sales in Mexico may protect the country's exotic birds from a thriving illegal wildlife trade, conservationists say.

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Wild parrots, parakeets in the Valley show that ... Green is Gold

Green parakeet (Aratinga holochlora) Photo: Steve Sinclair

Wayne Bartholomew, executive director of Frontera Audubon in Weslaco, says visitors constantly ask him one question: "Where can I see the parrots and parakeets?

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