Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Endangered | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2018 | Endangered | A2bcd+3bcd+4bcd |
| 2016 | Endangered | A2bcd+3bcd |
| 2013 | Vulnerable | A2abcd+3bcd+4abcd |
| 2012 | Vulnerable | A2abcd+3bcd+4abcd |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | not a migrant | Forest dependency | medium |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 4,460,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | unknown | medium | estimated | 2006 |
| Population trend | decreasing | medium | inferred | 2011-2054 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 14.3 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: Using density estimates for the now-split P. timneh (4.9-6.0 birds/km2; Fotso 1998a; McGowan 2001), the West African population of P. erithacus is estimated at 40,000-100,000 birds, although central African populations of this species are much larger. The population in Principe is now estimated to be 6,000-8,000 individuals, equivalent to population densities as high as 55-63 birds/km2. Using a global land cover classification, a digitised map of the species's range from Benson et al. (1988), and estimates of density 0.15-0.45 birds/km2 in semi-deciduous forest (including deciduous forest) and 0.3-6.0 birds/km2 in evergreen forest (including swamp forest and mangrove), supplemented by post-1995 published national estimates where available, an initial coarse assessment of the global population of P. erithacus is 0.56-12.7 million individuals.
Trend justification: Population declines have been noted in Burundi, Cameroon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and parts of Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In all of these declines, trapping for the wild bird trade has been implicated, with habitat loss also having significant impacts throughout West and East Africa. Data suggested that c.21 % of the wild population is being harvested annually, and in addition forest loss during 1990-2000 was estimated to be particularly high in Côte d'Ivoire (31%) and Nigeria (26%). The total number birds extracted from the wild during the period 1982 to 2014 may have been c.1.3 million (UNEP-WCMC 2016), with perhaps some 100,000 birds per year being captured in Cameroon during the late 1990s and early 2000s (F. Dowsett-Lemaire in litt. 2012). The rate of decline is hard to quantify, but given the massive level of capture for trade and the high levels of forest loss in parts of the range the decline is likely to be in the range of 50-79% in three generations (43 years).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | extant | native | yes | |||
| Benin | extinct | introduced | yes | |||
| Burundi | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Congo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | native | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | yes | |||
| Equatorial Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gabon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ghana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kenya | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Rwanda | extant | native | yes | |||
| São Tomé e Príncipe | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Togo | extinct | introduced | yes | |||
| Uganda | extant | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Plantations | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Rural Gardens | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland | major | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Swamp | major | resident |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 2200 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 7 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | subsistence, national, international |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/grey-parrot-psittacus-erithacus on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.