Rachel Carlson

They're kind of looking at me. And I met their care specialist, too. It sounds like they're laughing. Maybe they're laughing at me. Rachel, they're laughing with you. I don't know. I kind of feel like they were laughing at me. But they're still so charismatic and they look really cool too. They're bright green with little red splotches on their heads near their beaks.

They're kind of looking at me. And I met their care specialist, too. It sounds like they're laughing. Maybe they're laughing at me. Rachel, they're laughing with you. I don't know. I kind of feel like they were laughing at me. But they're still so charismatic and they look really cool too. They're bright green with little red splotches on their heads near their beaks.

They have big pupils and the adults have black beaks while the babies have white beaks. They all live really high up in trees, usually pine, making their homes in abandoned nests and holes.

They have big pupils and the adults have black beaks while the babies have white beaks. They all live really high up in trees, usually pine, making their homes in abandoned nests and holes.

They have big pupils and the adults have black beaks while the babies have white beaks. They all live really high up in trees, usually pine, making their homes in abandoned nests and holes.

That's Nadine Lamberski. She's the chief conservation and wildlife health officer for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. And when I visited, she told me that these birds live really high up in cavities and trees. maybe somewhere like six to 8,000 feet up where it gets really cold at night.

That's Nadine Lamberski. She's the chief conservation and wildlife health officer for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. And when I visited, she told me that these birds live really high up in cavities and trees. maybe somewhere like six to 8,000 feet up where it gets really cold at night.

That's Nadine Lamberski. She's the chief conservation and wildlife health officer for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. And when I visited, she told me that these birds live really high up in cavities and trees. maybe somewhere like six to 8,000 feet up where it gets really cold at night.

Still, their populations continued to decline into the 1990s when researchers estimate they numbered just over a thousand. Today, there's no longer a wild population in the U.S., You can only find them in Mexico's Sierra Madre.

Still, their populations continued to decline into the 1990s when researchers estimate they numbered just over a thousand. Today, there's no longer a wild population in the U.S., You can only find them in Mexico's Sierra Madre.

Still, their populations continued to decline into the 1990s when researchers estimate they numbered just over a thousand. Today, there's no longer a wild population in the U.S., You can only find them in Mexico's Sierra Madre.

The thick-billed parrot population is growing. It's increased by 10% in roughly the last decade. So today on the show, the community that came together to help the thick-billed parrot. And how these birds are fighting for survival and winning, for now, thanks in part to some tiny solar-powered backpacks.

The thick-billed parrot population is growing. It's increased by 10% in roughly the last decade. So today on the show, the community that came together to help the thick-billed parrot. And how these birds are fighting for survival and winning, for now, thanks in part to some tiny solar-powered backpacks.

The thick-billed parrot population is growing. It's increased by 10% in roughly the last decade. So today on the show, the community that came together to help the thick-billed parrot. And how these birds are fighting for survival and winning, for now, thanks in part to some tiny solar-powered backpacks.

Yeah, and Gina, we learned that these conservation efforts have to be multifaceted because the parrots are facing a bunch of different threats, like forest fires, parrot smuggling, and deforestation. And those pine trees the parrots use to build homes way up high in the Sierra Madre, those trees are prime targets for logging.

Yeah, and Gina, we learned that these conservation efforts have to be multifaceted because the parrots are facing a bunch of different threats, like forest fires, parrot smuggling, and deforestation. And those pine trees the parrots use to build homes way up high in the Sierra Madre, those trees are prime targets for logging.

Yeah, and Gina, we learned that these conservation efforts have to be multifaceted because the parrots are facing a bunch of different threats, like forest fires, parrot smuggling, and deforestation. And those pine trees the parrots use to build homes way up high in the Sierra Madre, those trees are prime targets for logging.

Over the years, researchers at OVIS, where Ernesto works, and other conservation organizations like the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance have partnered with the community to develop more sustainable forest management. They've discussed which trees to take, how many, from where, things like that, all to minimize the impact to these endangered parrots through legal protection.

Over the years, researchers at OVIS, where Ernesto works, and other conservation organizations like the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance have partnered with the community to develop more sustainable forest management. They've discussed which trees to take, how many, from where, things like that, all to minimize the impact to these endangered parrots through legal protection.

Over the years, researchers at OVIS, where Ernesto works, and other conservation organizations like the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance have partnered with the community to develop more sustainable forest management. They've discussed which trees to take, how many, from where, things like that, all to minimize the impact to these endangered parrots through legal protection.