Free-Flying Los Angeles Parrot Project (FLAPP)

At the Moore Lab (MLZ), we are studying the introduced parrots of Los Angeles. The two Amazona parrots (Red-crowned and Lilac-crowned) are endangered in their native ranges due to the pet trade and habitat destruction. The parrots of LA could potentially act as a "rescue population" for the endangered native populations of Mexico, but first, we need to examine how different the Los Angeles parrots are from the birds of Mexico since the LA parrots add a twist to the story: all the Amazona parrots hybridize in the city! 

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We are using DNA from historical parrots collected in Mexico and comparing it to modern samples from the Los Angeles parrots. Examining the levels of hybridization and genetic differences will provide further insight into the future of Red-crowned and Lilac-crowned Parrots. 

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