During an expedition to southern Guyana in 2000, researchers from the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Kansas were surprised to see a red siskin flying overhead. A small bird with a bright red chest, the red siskin (Spinus cucullatus) had never been observed outside Venezuela, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago. And even in those countries, sightings were extremely rare. For the Guyana expedition, it was the Wapichan, Macushi and Wai Wai — local Indigenous communities in this region known as South Rupununi — who were essential to helping the scientists understand their findings. The partnership sparked a decades-long community-led conservation movement that has protected the red siskin and helped locals reconnect with nature. Once common across tropical South America, the red siskin’s population declined dramatically over the last century. The species is classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and its international trade is prohibited under Appendix I of CITES, the global convention on the wildlife trade. In southern Guyana, red siskins inhabit savanna bush islands and forest edges. Image courtesy of SRCS. Yet it continues to be hunted illegally for its unique red-and-black plumage, used as a fashion accessory. Bird breeders also seek out the species, looking to produce a red hybrid of a canary. (Both birds belong to the same family of finches, Fringillidae.) Most recently, pet owners have pursued them for their song and beauty, with markets spanning from the West Indies to the United States. The news of a new population in Guyana made…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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