At rates unparalleled in history, habitat destruction, massive hunting, and elimination of species with incredible speed are occurring. The Thick-billed parrot is just one example of a species being eliminated due to man. But there is still time, if we act now. The Thick-billed parrot once occupied vast expanses of the American southwest and Central America. The last Thick-billed parrots reliably seen in the U.S. occurred around 1938, in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona.
Conservation is the act of preserving, protecting natural resources from loss or depletion.
Conservation does not mean complete preservation, but rather involves controlled use and replenishment. Birds serve as a barometer of our environment. Many years ago, it was standard practice for coal miners to take canaries or other finches into the mines. These birds saved many lives by detecting and reacting to poison gas long before miners could detect it. When a miner saw his bird go down, they would evacuate the mine.