Birdsong field guide
Thick-billed Parrot
Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
A large, bright green mountain parrot characterized by its massive black beak, crimson forehead, and specialized diet of pine seeds. It is the only surviving parrot species formerly native to the southwestern United States, though it is now restricted to high-altitude Mexican forests.
What it sounds like
A loud, harsh, rolling 'kr-raaa-a-a' or 'kurr-kurr' that resembles high-pitched human laughter or a raucous macaw scream.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- It is a 'pine specialist' that uses its powerful mandibles to pry seeds from tough pine cones, its primary food source.
- Unlike most tropical parrots, this species is highly cold-tolerant and is frequently observed flying through snow in its mountain habitat.
- The species is highly social and travels in noisy flocks that can be heard from over a mile away due to their resonant calls.
- They are secondary cavity nesters, relying almost entirely on old-growth trees and abandoned woodpecker holes for breeding sites.
- Once ranging as far north as Arizona and New Mexico, the species is now considered extirpated from the United States and is listed as Endangered.
Habitat
High-altitude temperate forests dominated by pine, fir, and Douglas-fir at elevations of 1,200 to 3,500 meters.
Range
Endemic to the Sierra Madre Occidental of western Mexico.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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