CITES faces other challenges to protecting parrots. Most captive‑born chicks have an ID ring placed on their legs. Illegal traders may have figured out how to attach these rings to wild birds. So, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between captive‑bred and wild‑caught birds.

To stay one step ahead of the criminals, geneticists at South Africa’s University of KwaZulu‑Natal are working on a solution. They hope to create a quick and painless genetic test. It would help determine if a bird is wild or not. Such DNA work could allow a breeder, pet buyer, or airport inspector to take a sample from a bird and discover its origins on the spot. A similar approach could analyze certain chemicals in parrot feathers. That test would reveal what the parrots eat, which would tell experts where the birds came from.

There have been other encouraging developments. At first, the countries of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said that they would not follow the CITES restrictions. However, they have since agreed not to import wild‑caught African grays.

There are conservation success stories, too. The critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot, for example, was down to 13 individuals in the 1970s. Biologists launched a captive‑breeding program. Wild and captive birds now number in the hundreds.

Conservationists say the long‑term challenge remains. People need to understand that these birds are at risk and are worth protecting.