The Puerto Rican parrot is bright green, about a foot in length, with red forehead, blue primary wing feathers, and flesh-colored bill and feet. All recent observations indicate that nesting is confined almost exclusively to natural cavities in colorado trees. The parrots clean out the interior of the cavity but they do not add lining material. Nest height varies from about 7 to 15 meters above the ground. Birds that have reached 3 to 4 years begin mating activities in January.
Clutch size ranges from two to four eggs.
The period from laying to fledging requires about 13 weeks. Since 1973, when an intensive management program was started, the fledging rate, based on eggs laid, has been about 7O percent. Pre-1973 success was between 11 and 26 percent. The captive program of the Puerto Rican parrot was initiated in 1968 by collecting parrots already in captivity and a few from the wild. The Puerto Rican parrot is presently found only in Puerto Rico, but up until 1899 it was also found on nearby Culebra Island, and earlier on Vieques and Mona Islands.