 The Lilac-crowned Parrot and the Citreoline Trogon inhabit the tropical dry deciduous forests of Western Mexico; these forests are one of the most threatened forest types and a priority for conservation. These birds play an important role in seed dispersal, so their conservation is necessary for the survival of the forests and all of its inhabitants. The Lilac-crowned Parrot is classified as Vulnerable by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) principally due to capture in the pet trade. The Citreoline Trogon is listed as Threatened by IUCN also due primarily to the pet trade.
The goal of this study is to obtain comparative data on resource use, habitat requirements, and seasonal landscape movements of these canopy seed dispersers, in order to evaluate their role in forest dynamics and the potential impacts of habitat fr agmentation.
In this study, researchers used radio-telemetry techniques to determine resource and area requirements, key habitats, and landscape movements for these two bird species of tropical dry forest. Plants were also analyzed to determine food resource availability, and evaluate the relationship between seed dispersers, seed predators, and food resources.
Initial findings suggest that the Citreoline Trogon may rely on the availability of figs during the dry season, while the Lilac-crowned Parrot concentrates foraging activity in semi-deciduous forest. Data also indicate that both the Citreoline Trogon and the Lilac-crowned Parrot migrate during the most severe period at the end of the dry season, returning to lowland deciduous forest with the start of the rainy season. These migrations have implications for the design and management of protected areas, and for the conservation of tropical dry deciduous forest.
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