Trade and habitat change virtually eliminate the Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus from Ghana

The heavily traded Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus is believed to have undergone rapid population decline, yet there are almost no quantitative data on abundance changes over time from anywhere within its huge range. We reviewed the species’ historical abundance across Ghana, undertook targeted searches during 3- to 5-day visits to 42 100-km2 cells across the country's forest zone, repeated counts at 22 parrot roosts first performed two decades ago and gauged around 900 people's perceptions of the decline and its causes.