Listen to the Sisserou!

I’ve mentioned the Sisserou on nearly every post since creating this website, but have yet to introduce you to the living bird. Today’s post aims to remedy that omission. So please stop and take a moment to meet the resplendent Imperial amazon, Dominica’s national bird, up close and personal!

Shot in 2013 by David Monroger, today’s featured video offers a rare, intimate look at the critically-endangered Amazona imperialis. The clip also captures clear examples of the bird’s distinctive call note and voice. Once you’ve heard it, I think you’ll agree that the regal Sisserou sounds like no other parrot.

This particular bird is housed at the Dominica Parrot Conservation and Research Center at the Botanical Gardens at Roseau, Dominica’s capital city. She is one of only two Imperials currently in captivity, the sole captive female, and the only Sisserou held on Dominica. Along with a number of Red-necked amazons sheltered indoors during the storm, Dominica’s lone captive Sisserou survived Maria’s wrath. I will share more about her history in a later post.

So listen to the Sisserou, as we revel in the knowledge that Amazona imperialis, Dominica’s National Bird, survives in the wild today.

Listen to the Sisserou– and consider that wise old island parrots are wily and adapted to survive, sending us the clear and present message that even broken Edens can heal.

Thanks to David Monroger for permission to share the video here. An aviculturist, photographer, and writer based in France, David raises awareness about endangered parrots via his lectures, websites, and articles, work sourced on his global travels with fellow enthusiast Francois Deneaux. To learn more, please visit his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pyaf.net/?fref=ts