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When enough parrots of the same species are introduced to each other in a non-native habitat, they will often breed and establish a new, stable population. These are referred to as naturalized parrots. Their populations can grow substantially, like the Quakers or ringnecks across Europe or the red-crowned Amazons in Texas and California. How does a potentially new “invasive” parrot species affect the existing native plant and animal populations, ecology, and conservation of an area? Dr. Brightsmith talks about the pros and cons of this growing important issue.

Dr. Brightsmith is an Associate Professor Ecosystem Health in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology and Schubot Avian Health Center at Texas A&M University. He holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Duke University, an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Arizona, and a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University and is the author of over 75 scholarly works. His interest in wild birds started at a young age with binoculars in the backyard and has led him to projects, collaborations, and teaching in Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Indonesia, and throughout the U.S. His specialties are tropical ecology, ornithology, and wildlife conservation, especially topics related to wild and captive parrots. He has worked on parrots in Peru since 1993 and ran the Tambopata Macaw Project (now The Macaw Society/Sociedad Pro Guacamayo) since 1999. His research has focused on a wide variety of topics including parrot conservation, clay lick use, nesting, movements, habitat use, etc. He also conducts research on the diets of captive and wild parrots, parrot enrichment, and wild red-crowned parrots in Texas. As an advisor to government and private parrot conservation projects, he is helping put his knowledge to work for the benefit of wild parrots.

Contact info@theparrotclub.org for a Zoom link.