The Puerto Rican parrot, also called "Iguaca" (its original Taíno name), is critically endangered with under 500 living in the mountainous rainforests. The native parrot species faces many threats including hurricanes, habitat loss, and invasive species who try to kill them. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) shared how one young parrot was saved just in time for a deadly encounter with a red-tailed boa. A biologist was alerted to an animal in trouble by panicked squawks. 

"Deep in Maricao forest, near our USFWS Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, our biologist, Raúl Correa, heard frantic calls from a flock of Puerto Rican parrots. They lead him to a juvenile parrot with an invasive red-tailed boa wrapped around it, high in a bamboo stalk," shared USFWS. 

Raúl reacted immediately by cutting down the bamboo branch the snack was wrapped around to save the parrot from the snake's death grip. The boa released its grip and the parrot survived. 

The traumatized bird was observed overnight to ensure no permanent damage was done. "This little survivor — barely a month out of the nest — was back in the forest, flying with its flock again," wrote USFWS. 

Conservation efforts continue to preserve these beautiful birds whose population once dropped to 13 in 1975. Through years of captive breeding and release of these captive-bred birds back into protected land in the wild, their population is slowly growing. 

“The Puerto Rican parrot is not only emblematic of the island’s beauty but also a symbol of resiliency,” said Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, Regional Director of the South Atlantic-Gulf and Mississippi regions, which includes Puerto Rico.