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countries have adopted trade regulations, the domestic and international laws which are supposed 

 to ensure that tr^)ping for trade docs not result in species declines have been largely ineffective. 

 Harvest quotas have been adopted in many countries, but they are not based on scientific data 

 and there have been no adequate biological studies to determine what levels of harvest would be 

 sustainable. 



Principle problems from the trade of birds have been seen with parrots, which as a group 

 are unable to sustain much pressure on wild populations. At least 42 of approximately 140 

 species of Neotropical panots are currently at risk of extinction. For 22 of these species, trade 

 is a major cause of endangerment Examples of panots now critically threatened by trade include 

 the Spix's Macaw {Cyanopsitta spixii), the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), the 

 Tucuman Amazon (Amazona tucumana), the Red-tailed Amazon (A. brasiliensis), and the Red- 

 crowned Amazon (A. viridigenalis). Together, trade and habitat destruction now clearly represent 

 the two major conservation problems afflicting parrots and many kinds of birds worldwide. 



Little is known about how trade is affecting most noncndangercd species in part because 

 there are no species for which quotas have been set based on scientific information. However, 

 if the Blue-fronted Amazon (Amazona aestiva) is any indication, trade is probably having a 

 strong effect even on many common species. Over 45,000 Blue-fronted Amazons were exported 

 from Argentina from 1982 to 1986. It is inconceivable that this species can continue to sustain 

 such harvest levels, as evidenced by its disappearance from many areas of its range. Trade may 

 be as large a threat to nonendangered psittacines as habitat destruction, because many parrots arc 

 habitat generalists. This is exemplified by the large number of parrot species that have been 

 introduced, as a result of the pet trade, and become established in urban habitats around the 

 world. In addition, the harvest of nestlings of hole-nesting species often involves destruction of 

 nest trees, posing a further stress on wild populations limited by nest site availability. 



Captive breeding is the major source of individuals in trade for only a relatively few bird 

 species - Budgerigars (Mehpsinacus undulatus), Cockatieis {Nymphicus hollandicus). Canaries 

 (Serinus canaria). Zebra and Bengalese Finches {Amandava subflava and Lonchura domestica), 

 most Agapomis lovebirds, several species of grass parrots {Neophema sp.) and rosellas 

 {Platycercus sp.), and several Australian finches (e.g., Chloebia gouldiae, Poephila cincta, 

 Poephila acuticauda). For most other birds, essentially all individuals in trade come directly 

 horn wild sources, either trapped as free-flying adults or taken as nestlings. 



Despite the obvious threats to wild populations of many species posed by trade as it is 

 currently conducted, little has been done by the international community to decrease the number 

 of birds being removed from the wild. One notable exception is recent legislation enacted by 

 the United States. The Exotic Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 prohibits the importation of 

 birds that are listed on CITES appendices unless they originated from licensed captive-breeding 

 facilities or sustainable-harvesting programs. In the first year since this legislation went into 

 effect, the number of parrots and the total number of wild birds legally imported into the United 

 States declined greatly, although exact figures are not yet available. It is not known, however, 

 whether the number of birds illegally imported has increased. 



