The Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) is highly endangered in the wild. The loss of its old-growth trees with natural cavities is ongoing, and climate-driven brush fires and drought threaten remaining trees. Trapping remains a threat, although the extent is not known.

Thick-billed Parrot preservation now relies on efforts to protect habitat, manage breeding, screen for diseases, and track bird movements. The World Parrot Trust has funded studies to evaluate translocation and habitat requirements, nest box installation to increase breeding capacity, genetics work to determine to inform conservation actions and held conservation planning meetings.

In 2019 and 2020, WPT-supported Organización Vida Silvestre A.C. (OVIS) tracked birds in five breeding populations in the mountainous portion of Chihuahua. In 2022, the team installed 30 new lightweight solar-powered transmitters provided by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which also collects and analyses the data. The team has now conducted many years of Thick-billed Parrot tracking, accumulating 32,000 location fixes from transmitters attached to 30 parrots. These devices have helped to identify important water and mineral sources, and feeding, roosting, wintering and transit areas.