Greater Vasa Parrot

Coracopsis vasa

Charcoal-black parrot where females are dominant and molt bald yellow heads during breeding.

Population: No global numeric estimate published; IUCN/BirdLife describes it as fairly common in many areas with an overall decreasing population trend (driven by habitat loss and persecution, not severe enough to warrant a threatened category)
Habitat: Dry deciduous forest, forest edge, savanna, shrubland, grassland, and degraded/cultivated land near forest, mainly in western and southern Madagascar; max elevation ~1,000 m
Fun fact: Captive Greater Vasa Parrots at a UK wildlife park were observed using date pits and pebbles as tools to grind calcium-rich powder from seashells, the first non-human animal recorded doing so.
Range: Endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands (Grande Comore, Mohéli, Anjouan); IUCN extent of occurrence ~928,000 km², resident/non-migratory
Diet: Wild fruits, berries, nuts and seeds; also raids cultivated maize, millet and rice; known to grind and ingest calcium-rich shell/seashell material using date pits and pebbles as tools
Size: 0.5 m

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