Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser AntillesIsland arc, in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, between Saint Lucia, Barbados and Grenada. The country has a French and British colonial history and is independent since 1979. Its national bird is Saint Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii), known also as Saint Vincent Amazon. It is the only type of parrot on the island, and also an endemic species. It is a large, approximately 40 cm long, multi-colored parrot, with a yellowish white, blue and green head, greenish-bronze upperparts plumage, and violet blue-green wings. There is no difference in plumage or size between the sexes, and the immatures are duller than the adult birds. This noisy parrot uses a variety of calls including yapping, honking, shrieking, bubbling and squawking. Hunting for food, trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss were the principal causes of this species's decline. Deforestation has been the result of forestry activities, the expansion of banana cultivation, charcoal production, the loss of nesting-trees felled by trappers seeking young birds for trade, and natural events such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Due to all of these contributing factors, the St. Vincent Parrot is considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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