Great Green Macaw (Critically Endangered) is often captured in South America for the caged bird trade.

One of the reasons why the trade in wild parrots continues is that it is very profitable, with particularly beautiful or rare species selling for up to US$1,000 or more. Although many birds are traded within the country of origin, international parrot smuggling is very common. The parrot trade in Mexico is largely driven by the demand for exotic birds in the US, where an estimated 4–14% of Mexican wild-captured parrots (up to 9,400 birds) are smuggled each year. 

Whether it’s establishing and guarding safe havens for the Helmeted Hornbill, helping parrot-trappers to establish alternative, sustainable ways of making a living, or supporting authorities to enforce laws, we invest in long-term, sustainable solutions that factor in the needs of both nature and local people. Much of our partner work documents the scale of the criminality locally and how it is joined up to transnational networks of banditry. This helps governments and law enforcement understand and acknowledge the vast scale and devastating impact at play and encourages them to target the necessary legal and enforcement resources appropriately.

Reed more