Scientists Use Solar Backpacks to Track Endangered Parrots’ Migration

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San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance scientists equipped 57 endangered thick-billed parrots with 9-gram solar-powered satellite backpacks, defying skeptics who doubted the devices' durability.

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Scientists collected 71,000 data points revealing crucial migration patterns of thick-billed parrots confined to Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range.

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Satellite tracking data sparked creation of 43 new protected areas in Mexico, including a 418-hectare sanctuary for parrot breeding and nesting.

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Population surveys showed 10% increase in thick-billed parrot numbers after implementing satellite tracking conservation strategies.

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SDZWA and OVIS partnership deployed GPS and Argos satellite systems to monitor parrots in remote, difficult-to-access areas.

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Illegal logging pushed thick-billed parrots out of their natural US range, restricting them to Mexico's mountainous regions.

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Research revealed parrots follow synchronized movement patterns while utilizing less than 20% of their range within protected areas.

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Satellite tracking technology weighing equivalent to Apple AirPods provides crucial data for protecting shared habitats of pumas and bobcats.

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SDZWA-OVIS collaboration spans three decades, with satellite tracking finally solving the challenge of monitoring remote parrot populations.

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